2 Farmers Die By Suicide In Telangana Due To Crop Losses, Agricultural Debt

Hyderabad: Two farmer suicides were reported in Telangana's Warangal district, as the state faces deficient monsoon rainfall, crop losses and mounting agricultural debts. 50-year-old Metla Uppalamma of Agapeta village in Jangaon district and 58-year-old Banothu Ramulu of Venkatram Thanda in Mahabubabad district died after consuming pesticide. Uppalamma had suffered losses in cotton cultivation, while Ramulu cultivated paddy and maize on two acres and reportedly faced mounting agricultural debts.A third death initially reported as suicide involved 27-year-old Jarpula Venkatesh of Bujju Thanda in Nallabelli mandal. However, the police termed it death due to accidentally falling into an agricultural well.According to farmer organisations, 97 farmer suicides were reported across the State between January 1 and July 15, 2026. In Adilabad alone, 15 cases were reported between January and September, followed by six more in October, taking the district total to 21.The developments come as the state government prepares to seek substantial financial assistance from the Centre to tackle drought conditions and the anticipated impact of El Nino.Telangana received 615.5 mm of rainfall between June 1 and September 30, 2026, against the normal 740.6 mm a shortfall of 17%. 18 of the state's 33 districts recorded deficient rainfall. The government declared 365 mandals across 31 districts drought-affected for the 2026 agricultural season. Of these, 111 mandals were classified as severely drought-affected and 254 as moderately affected.The impact is also visible in cultivation figures. The total Kharif crop-sown area declined from 139.28 lakh acres to 126.06 lakh acres, a reduction of 13.22 lakh acres (around 9.5%). Paddy cultivation dropped from 69.19 lakh acres to 57 lakh acres, a decline of approximately 18%.Water availability has emerged as another major concern. Live storage in the state's major and medium reservoirs stood at 179.63 TMC against their combined capacity of 585 TMC, according to the drought assessment. This represents only about 31% of the total storage capacity.Amid the growing crisis and farm distress, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy are scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on November 15 to seek central financial assistance.