Meanwhile, the Revanth Reddy government faces flak from the Opposition for what they call its “alarming indifference.”
Published Oct 12, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 12, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: Maize farmers in Telangana face a severe crisis as prices crash to ₹1,900–₹2,200 per quintal, far below the ₹2,400 MSP. With high input costs and market glut, losses mount. The state plans to spend ₹2,400 crore to procure 8.66 lakh tonnes, but delayed action, seed scandals, and political blame games deepen farmers’ despair.
Telangana’s maize farmers are staring at a grim harvest. It’s a season of despair, not delight. Prices are collapsing faster than a house of cards. Costs have shot up, but returns have hit rock bottom.
Telangana is among India’s maize production powerhouses — with nearly seven lakh acres under cultivation this kharif. Yet, the golden grain has turned into a symbol of misery for thousands of small and marginal farmers.
Across the state, maize is selling for as low as Rs 1,900– Rs 2,200 per quintal — far below the Centre’s Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,400 for 2025–26. In some markets, desperate farmers have sold their stocks at Rs1,600 per quintal, bleeding losses after spending Rs 15,000– Rs20,000 per acre on seeds, fertilisers, and labour.
“We’ve spent every rupee hoping for Rs 2,400 or more. Now traders quote Rs 1,900, and even that feels like charity,” said K Venkatesh, a 45-year-old farmer from Gajwel, where prices slid to ₹2,100 this week.
After meeting Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday, 9 October, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao announced that the government would step in. The state is ready to spend ₹2,400 crore and procure 8.66 lakh tonnes of maize through Markfed.
With the Centre delaying procurement, the Telangana government has decided to buy the maize at MSP. Farmers can sell their produce at Markfed procurement centres, the Minister said. The state expects total maize production to touch 11.56 lakh tonnes this season, of which 8.66 lakh tonnes will be procured directly.
This October’s crash has been particularly brutal. Sources say wholesale maize prices fell nearly 19 percent month-on-month — the steepest decline in recent years. The blame lies with record acreage (up 18 percent from last year), a generous monsoon, and a glut that has flooded markets and overwhelmed godowns.
Market yards are groaning under piles of maize. Farmers allege that the government failed to open enough procurement centres even as the harvest peaked in October–November. Without official intervention, they are left at the mercy of middlemen who call the shots.
“Without government support, we might as well dump our maize on the road or feed it to cattle,” said a group of farmers from Adilabad. “The talk is all about farmer welfare, but the ground reality is one of survival.”
Rubbing salt into the wound, the seed scandal earlier this year played the spoilt sport. Over 2,000 acres in Mulugu district were wiped out by substandard genetically modified seeds sold by private firms. After months of protest by farmers, the Telangana Farmers’ Commission secured Rs 3.80 crore compensation for 671 affected farmers — the first such payout in India for losses due to faulty hybrid seeds.
Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao had hailed the decision as a “game-changer” and promised a new Seed Act by year-end to regulate seed quality, curb unlicensed sellers, and enforce pre-cultivation contracts.
But farmers remain sceptical. “Compensation is fine, but it won’t buy next season’s seeds if prices keep crashing,” said Commission Chairman Kodanda Reddy, who helped expose the seed scam.
Meanwhile, the Revanth Reddy government faces flak from the Opposition for what they call its “alarming indifference.”
BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress of “abandoning rural Telangana in favour of urban optics.” His warned: “Start procurement at Rs 2,400 plus a Rs 200 bonus — or face the wrath of the farmers.”
But for now, Telangana’s maize cultivators remain caught between hope and despair.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
