Vijayawada: In the fertile deltas of Andhra Pradesh, nourished by the Godavari and Krishna rivers, a quiet crisis is unfolding. Tenant farmers, or Koulu Rythus, who lease land and toil season after season, are being crushed by rising debts, poor returns, and official apathy. A statewide survey has revealed that 92.1 per cent of tenant farmers believe no political party cares about their plight, while only 6.1 per cent think otherwise.

The survey, conducted jointly by the Andhra Pradesh Koulu Rythula Sangham and the People’s Pulse Research Institute between September 20 and October 20, covered 3,000 respondents across all 26 districts.

The findings were released at a press conference in Vijayawada on Monday by AP Rythu Sangham general secretary K.V.V. Prasad and Koulu Rythula Sangham leaders. The 57-page report accused both state and central governments of betraying tenant farmers through broken promises and ineffective policies.

Leaders cited the example of a farmer from I Polavaram in Konaseema district, who leases two acres and produces about 140 bags of paddy annually. After paying 48 bags as rent and selling the rest for Rs 1.47 lakh, he is left with just Rs 3,000 a year after repaying Rs 1.6 lakh in loans and interest — a meagre Rs 8 a day.

According to the report, only 12.3 per cent of tenant farmers have received Crop Cultivator Right Cards (CCRC), formerly known as Koulu Cards, which were meant to ensure access to welfare schemes and crop insurance.

Instead, the cards have become a barrier, with 87.7% of farmers still excluded from official support. Leaders alleged that the ruling TDP-JSP-BJP coalition failed to honour its Prajagalam manifesto promise to enact tenant-friendly legislation.

The survey also revealed that 70 per cent of tenant farmers belong to BC, SC, and ST communities. About 34 per cent spend over Rs 60,000 per acre annually on cultivation, while another 24 per cent invest between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000. Despite such high input costs, 38.1 per cent depend on private moneylenders, 28.8 per cent on traders and rice millers, and only 2.5 per cent access credit from nationalised banks. Nearly one-fifth of the farmers owe over Rs 5 lakh in loans.

With 92 per cent lacking formal lease agreements, tenant farmers are denied legal protection, crop insurance, and disaster relief. Leaders warned that as input costs rise and suicides increase in districts like Palnadu, urgent reforms are needed — including legal recognition of tenants, e-crop registration, and access to institutional credit — to prevent further agrarian distress.