Telangana Farmers’ Association slams budget cuts

Hyderabad: The Telangana Farmers’ Association has strongly condemned the state government for reducing allocations to agriculture in the 2026-27 budget, despite declaring the current period as Agriculture Year. In a press statement, the association noted that while the Finance Minister announced Rs 23,179 crore for agriculture this year, last year’s allocation stood at Rs 24,000 crore, marking a significant cut. The body described this reduction as regrettable and contradictory to the government’s own claims of prioritising the primary sector.

The statement pointed out that key promises such as loan waivers, Rythu Bharosa instalments, crop bonuses, and minimum support price commitments were conspicuously missing from the budget. Crucially, tenant farmers remain excluded from official records, leaving them without any financial protection. Highlighting the ongoing rural crisis, the association stated that approximately 460 farmers commit suicide annually due to a lack of systematic loan planning and insurance coverage. It criticised the absence of specific allocations for crop insurance, disaster relief, and market intervention schemes.

Concerns were also raised over declining horticulture cultivation, noting that citrus farming has fallen from 4.5 lakh acres in Nalgonda to just 4 lakh acres statewide.