Rains in northern Telangana put cotton farmers in trouble
By yash chouhan 2025-10-30 11:47:53
Continuous Rain Affects Cotton Farmers In North Telangana
ADILABAD: Continuous rains have severely affected standing cotton crops, causing cotton to fall from the bolls and get drenched. Several parts of Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, and Nirmal districts received heavy rainfall on Wednesday. Farmers are deeply worried about crop damage due to the rains triggered by the Montha cyclone, with fears that the cotton yield may decline further.
The farmers’ hopes of getting the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹8,110 per quintal are fading as continuous rains have increased the moisture content in cotton. In this situation, cotton farmers are likely to incur heavy losses. Private traders are reportedly buying cotton at less than ₹7,000 per quintal, citing the high moisture levels. The erstwhile Adilabad district is one of the state’s largest cotton-growing regions, and heavy rains have lashed several areas in Adilabad and Komaram Bheem Asifabad districts.
Farmers have already suffered losses as standing cotton crops were inundated during the recent floods caused by incessant rains. Now, the drenched cotton bolls are turning blackish, further reducing their quality. Agricultural labourers are also facing hardships in picking cotton during the first round of harvest, as the black soil has become slushy due to rain. Agriculture department officials earlier estimated a 25 per cent drop in cotton yield for the kharif season. However, with the latest spell of rains under the influence of the Montha cyclone, the yield loss may now rise to 35 per cent.
Cotton was cultivated over 4.30 lakh acres in Adilabad district and 3.34 lakh acres in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district during the current Kharif season. Rythu Swarajya Vedika district president Sangepu Borranna said the unexpected rains caused by the Montha cyclone have dealt a severe blow to cotton farmers, especially in the erstwhile Adilabad district and other parts of north Telangana. He added that farmers are struggling to hire agricultural labourers for cotton picking as they lack funds, having been unable to sell their first harvest due to poor quality and high moisture content.
