With many growers cutting down on cultivation -leading to a shortage in supply of 11.5 tonnes from within the state of Telangana- prices of vegetables have recently seen a sharp rise. Experts fear that the costs will continue to stay high through the rainy season with most districts, including Rangareddy, Vikarabad and Mahbubnagar that supply veggies to Hyderabad. This has led to a reduction of about 20,000 ha in its cultivation area.
According to official figures, as against the estimated 180,000 ha of vegetables, only 36,000 ha were brought under cultivation in the state this rainy season.
In Rangareddy alone, vegetable cultivation dropped by 10,800 ha — from 28,800 ha last year to 18,000 ha this season. There is also a decrease of about 4,000 acres in vegetable cultivation in Vikarabad and Mahbubnagar.
According to an article on timesofindia.indiatimes.com, the situation is no different in Suryapet. Farmers say not getting minimum support price for vegetables is one of the prime reasons they’ve started opting for agricultural crops instead. “I used to cultivate tomatoes till last year but the prices were very volatile and I could not sustain losses. Hence, I have shifted to paddy,” said a farmer from Ranga Reddy district.