Marijuana attracts Vikarabad farmers

HYDERABAD:  Marijuana, cannabis, or ganja cultivation has progressed from dimly lit attics to kitchen gardens to farmlands. Vikarabad, once known for its
natural beauty and thick vegetation, is now a major ganja producing area,
with farmers finding cannabis cultivation to be a lucrative option. Some
farmers are illegally growing ganja in their fields to meet the growing demand for marijuana among college students, despite the fact that such cultivation is illegal and punishable by law.

The illegal cultivation of ganja appears to be unabated, despite the Telangana government's announcement that farmers who cultivate ganja will not be eligible for the 'Rythu Bandhu' scheme. Over the last eight months, the district, which is dotted with dozens of residential and engineering colleges, has seen an increase in ganja cultivation, with farmers secretly cultivating the illegal plant among other crops, with the majority of the ganja supply going to nearby colleges and even the posh Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills.  According to police sources, some farmers are selling ganja directly to peddlers and customers in and around the district.

This came to light after peddlers Pavan Kumar and Manik Reddy, residents of
Vattiminapalli village Nawabpet mandal in Vikarabad district on Sunday, were
arrested. The police were taken aback when they discovered, during the inspection, that some farmers and landowners from the Vikarabad district's
interior villages were involved in the cultivation and distribution of ganja. Pavan Kumar, the accused, was a ganja dealer who bought the illegal substance from cultivator Manik Reddy, a farmer who had suffered a financial loss in rice and vegetable cultivation. The arrest of Pavan was the tip-off that led to the confirmation that Manik Reddy cultivated cannabis on his farm, according to a senior police official.

According to police sources, Pavan Kumar has been selling a gram of marijuana for Rs 400 to needy customers in the district who have yet to be identified. For a long time, these cultivators in Nawabpet and other villages have made a fortune selling marijuana to students from nearby colleges and cities. The accused Pavan was also a ganja addict who was arrested twice for procuring the drug and later decided to start his own business. “Our teams are searching the entire district and will take harsh action against anyone found cultivating or selling the prohibited substance,” a senior police official said. Both Pavan and Manik Reddy were produced before court after police charged them under the NDPS Act.