Tenant farmers left high and dry by system, study says

A survey of tenant farmers across Telangana has found their widespread exclusion from key government agricultural support schemes, raising concerns about the viability of cultivation for thousands of farmers who lease land but lack formal recognition.

The findings came from a 2026 survey conducted by the Kaulu Raitula Gurtimpu Sadhana (Committee for the Struggle for Tenant Recognition), which included 1,816 tenant farmers in 57 villages in 47 mandals covering 22 districts. The study found that tenant cultivators face major barriers in accessing subsidized fertilizers, purchase of crops at minimum support price (MSP), disaster relief and institutional crop credit.

According to the report, access to subsidized urea has become increasingly difficult due to the recently introduced app-based system that requires one-time password (OTP) verification of landowners. During the recent Rabi season, only 412 of the 1,816 farmers surveyed, accounting for about 22.8 percent, could purchase subsidized urea at the official rate. Only 40 tenants managed to secure fertilizer under their names, while the rest depended on the identity of the land owners.

Those without access to the subsidy reportedly bought urea on the open market at almost twice the subsidized price.

Tenants also reported major barriers to selling crops through government procurement systems. Platforms like Kapas Kisan for cotton, Online Procurement Management System for paddy and Markfed require linking of Pattas and Aadhaar or consent of the landowner based on OTP, making it difficult for tenant farmers to sell to government procurement agencies, the survey found.

According to the report, only 6.7 percent of cotton tenant farmers sold the produce directly to the Cotton Corporation of India under their own names. In the case of paddy, only 20 per cent tenants in Kharif-2025 and 17.2 per cent in Rabi-2025 could access procurement under their own identity. Many farmers reportedly resorted to selling crops under other farmers’ names after paying hefty commissions. Markfed’s direct purchases of other crops account for just 8.5 percent.

The report also highlighted severe exclusion from disaster compensation and crop loans. While more than 85 percent of farmers surveyed have suffered crop losses due to floods, heavy rains or hailstorms in the last three years, only 11 farmers have received compensation on their own account. In several cases, landowners received disaster compensation but did not extend it to tenants.

Tenant cultivators were also left out of formal crop loan systems, forcing reliance on private loans with interest rates ranging from 24 to 36 percent.

Measures taken by the government to include tenant farmers in public procurement systems were ad hoc and not implemented uniformly, the report said.

Highlighting these issues, the committee urged the Telangana government to implement the Land License Cultivators Act, 2011 and formally recognize tenant farmers to ensure direct access to welfare and agricultural support schemes. He demanded a uniform system for all schemes and crops with eligibility based on tenant cultivator cards.

Published – 09 Jun 2026 21:18 IST