Gadwal Seed Cotton Farmers Betrayed: Rythu Sangham Demands Full Procurement and Rs 1 Lakh Investment Aid Per Acre

Gadwal: Tensions are escalating in the Jogulamba Gadwal district as thousands of seed cotton farmers face uncertainty over crop procurement and investment support. The Telangana Rythu Sangham, led by State Secretary Tigala Sagar, held discussions today with the Additional Commissioner of Agriculture, Vijay Kumar, and Seed Monitoring Officer Narasimha Rao, demanding urgent intervention.

The Situation

The Nadigadda region of Jogulamba Gadwal district is known for large-scale seed cotton (seeded cotton) cultivation. Every year, nearly 25,000 farmers grow seed cotton across approximately 40,000 acres. Typically, 25 seed companies operate through organizers, who contract farmers to cultivate their proprietary cotton seed varieties. In return, these companies promise to:

Purchase 100% of the crop post-harvest, and

Provide ₹1 lakh per acre as investment aid to cover input costs.

However, this year has taken a dramatic turn. After the crop reached the budding stage (around 50 days post-sowing), several organizers informed farmers that the companies would only procure 2 quintals per acre, leaving the remaining crop to be destroyed by the farmers. Worse, they stated that no investment compensation would be provided.

This sudden breach of agreement has caused mass unrest among the farming community. In response, thousands of farmers organized a mass protest in front of the District Collector’s Office in Gadwal. Following this, both the District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) intervened and facilitated a written assurance from company organizers, promising full procurement and investment support.

Fresh Betrayal Sparks Fresh Protest

Despite this written commitment, organizers are once again backing out, telling farmers to remove the crops themselves and denying any procurement responsibility. The farmers are now in disarray and financial distress.

In a high-level meeting today, Telangana Rythu Sangham State Secretary Tigala Sagar, accompanied by key state and district leaders, demanded that the Agriculture Department immediately pressurize the companies and their organizers to:

1. Procure the entire seed cotton crop, and

2. Provide ₹1 lakh per acre as promised.

The Sangham warned that if these demands are not met, the farmers will be left with no choice but to launch a large-scale protest across the state.

Leaders Present at the Meeting:

Tigala Sagar – State Secretary, Telangana Rythu Sangham

Shobhan Naik – State Leader

Sankapuram Mallesh – District Secretary, Rythu Sangham, Gadwal

A. Venkataswamy & V.V. Narasimha – District President and Secretary, CITU

Sriram Naik – State Secretary, Telangana Girijana Sangham

Other local leaders: Veeresh, Urukundu, Narayana, Thimmappa and others

The Rythu Sangham has called for government accountability and demanded that the agricultural contract farming system be monitored strictly to prevent exploitation of poor farmers.