Gadwal: Farmers in several villages of Jogulamba Gadwal district, including Peddagoflapur, Ittikala, and Mangaldhinna, have been pushed into a state of distress and helplessness due to the alleged betrayal by seed companies and their agents. The companies, which initially supplied seeds without any conditions, have now issued last-minute directives to destroy large portions of the cotton crop, claiming they will only purchase a limited quantity. Despite a good growing season with timely rainfall and favorable weather conditions, which helped crops flourish and reach the flowering stage, seed companies have now backed out, stating they will purchase only 150 packets worth of produce per farmer. The rest, they insist, must be removed or destroyed — a move enforced through pressure by seed organizers (local intermediaries or agents).
Farmers’ Despair and Anger
The sudden reversal has left farmers devastated. Many of them took loans to cultivate seed cotton, investing heavily with the hope of recovering costs and making a small profit. Now, they are faced with the traumatic decision of cutting down healthy crops that are on the verge of harvest — not due to natural calamities, but because of corporate decisions.
“I borrowed heavily, nurtured the crop carefully, and just as it’s ready to yield, they are asking me to destroy it. Where were these conditions when they gave me the seeds?” laments one of the affected farmers.
The companies are reportedly offering a compensation of just ₹10,000 per acre for the destroyed crop — an amount that barely scratches the surface of actual investments. The farmers, however, argue that this is an unfair trade-off, as many of them spent far more on fertilizers, pesticides, and labor.