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Weeks after floods battered Telangana’s farmlands, farmers say the devastation has barely begun to register with those in power. On Wednesday, November 12, Telangana-based farmers’ rights collective Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) convened a roundtable meeting in Hyderabad to take stock of what they describe as a worsening crisis — crop losses from Cyclone Montha, stalled procurement, and governments that have failed to respond with urgency.
Around 45 farmers, activists, and agricultural experts gathered at Sudarayya Vignana Kendram, representing districts across the state. The discussion, presided over by RSV Convenor Kiran Vissa, centred on compounding blows including the destruction caused by relentless rains, the hurdles created by the BJP-led Union government’s mandatory Kapas Kisan app for cotton procurement, and the apathy of the Congress-led government in Telangana.
“I have five acres of land: three for cultivating cotton and two for paddy. In the recent cyclone, the cotton crop was completely inundated and destroyed. But there has been no compensation from the state government yet,” said K Deepak, a farmer from Adilabad.
Similar issues were raised by other farmers. Sundar, another farmer from Adilabad, described how continual spells of rain in August, September, and October had ravaged fields. Cotton, highly vulnerable to excess moisture, has taken a particularly severe hit this Rabi season (October to December).
Farmers said the situation has been made worse by the requirement to register on the Kapas Kisan app for cotton procurement. The app, launched by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) — a public sector undertaking under the Union government — is an Aadhaar-based pre-registration system that farmers are required to use before selling their yield.
But the app itself has become a barrier, farmers said. Poor digital literacy, patchy internet access, and the lack of assistance from village and district officials have left many unsure of how to use it at all.
“Since its introduction in September 2025 by the CCI, the Union government has promoted it as a way to rule out the middle men and enable procurement directly from the farmers. But several farmers still do not understand how the slot booking works,” Thanneru Harsha, an activist and member of RSV, told TNM.
The confusion is widespread, said Anjaneyulu, a farmer and activist from Nalgonda district. “Eight gram panchayats that I know of in Nalgonda have been adversely affected. Farmers’ homes and crops have been destroyed by Cyclone Montha. Many do not even know if their Kisan Kapas registration has gone through,” he said.
Karunanidhi Goud, a farmer from Vikarabad district, said that this time around, farmers were only able to sell 3-4 quintals of cotton unlike their usual 10 quintals. “Even some of that yield was rejected because procurers complained about how the cotton was blackened due to rains and debris,” he added.
The meeting also discussed the precarious situation of tenant farmers, who face the brunt of crop loss without formal recognition or access to compensation and procurement systems.