Tenant Farmers Pin Hopes on Changes in Licensed Cultivators’ Act 2011

Adilabad: Tenant farmers, who actually carry out most of the cultivation in Telangana, are pinning their hopes on the changes proposed in the existing Bhoo Adhikrutha Sagudarula Chattam (Licensed Cultivators’ Act) 2011.

As per the proposed provision, according to the numerous organisations working to ensure tangible benefits for tenant farmers, the tenancy rights will be protected under laws governing agriculture, instead of those related to the Revenue department. It is hoped this would avoid vehement opposition from landowners in the state in case the state government provides any benefits to tenant farmers.

Sangepu Borranna, leader of Rythu Swarajya Vedika, disclosed that the state government will bring about changes in the existing farmers act to benefit the tenant farmers in a way that does not have any effect on the land owners.

He disclosed that the Agriculture department will form joint liability groups (JLGs) with tenant farmers, like SHGs. This will help JLGs comprising tenant farmers get crop loans from banks based on LECs (loan eligibility cards) provided to them by the state government.

According to an estimate, there are 28,763 tenant farmers in Adilabad, while their number in the erstwhile Adilabad district is 1,17,000.

The new law will help farmers, as groups, to get crop loans from banks, receive compensation for damage to crops, and become eligible for subsidies and other welfare schemes. For all these, the link up of tenant farmers with Agriculture department, instead of the Revenue department, will ensure that owners of lands do not have to worry about their lands facing any liability.

Incidentally, the BRS government removed the cultivators’ names being mentioned in the 16th column of the pahani. This denied any rights to tenant farmers, who number about 15 lakh in the state. The BRS government had made it clear that it would recognise only the rights of the owner on the land.

The Kaulu Rythula Hakkula Sadhana Committee, along with Rythu Swarajya Vedika, has been mounting pressure on the state government to enact a law that provides security to tenant farmers who borrow loans to cultivate the lands of their owners. Significantly, majority of the farmers committing suicides due to mounting debts following crop loss, are tenant farmers.

Owners of the land do not share with farmers the amount that the state government grants following crop losses due to natural calamities. Landowners also claim all the benefits given by the state government, including compensation, crop loan waiver, and crop insurance, though the tenant farmers are the real victims.

Landowners thus benefit from not only the lease amount that the tenant farmer pays but also the benefits that the government extends to farmers. Tenant farmers have been the losers because of the way law and rules have been framed.

There are two varieties of tenant farmers: landless tenant farmers who cultivate lands by taking them on lease. Then, there are small and marginal farmers who have some land but take the neighbouring land on lease.

The lease amount for the land has been steadily increasing in Telangana. It has now touched almost ₹22,000 per acre per year on an average in Adilabad district.

Farmer Edla Venkanna of Landasangi village in Adilabad mandal said he is paying ₹22,000 per acre for six acres of land he has taken on lease, while cultivating his own 3.5 acres. Venkanna disclosed that the lease amount increased after the state government started extending Rythu Bandhu. Even big farmers do not share the Rythu Bandhu amount with the tenant farmers, though the latter are the actual cultivators.