Financial hardhips force farmer to plough manually

Metro India News | MAHABUBABAD

In a heart-rending incident highlighting the hardships faced by small farmers, a farmer in Poonugondla village of Kothaguda mandal, Mahabubabad district, was forced to pull a plough himself after one of his two bullocks died of electrocution four days ago. The farmer, Penaka Praveen, had relied on the pair of bullocks for agricultural work. However, after one of the animals was electrocuted, he was left without the means to continue cultivation. With the monsoon season underway and sowing operations at a crucial stage, the loss of the bullock brought farming activities to a standstill.

Unable to afford a replacement, which he said would cost at least Rs 40,000, Praveen took the extraordinary step of harnessing himself to the plough and tilling his field alongside his remaining bullock. Expressing his distress, the farmer said he had no other option as the window for ploughing and preparing the land for the rainy season crop was fast closing. He appealed to the government to provide financial assistance and compensation so that he could purchase another bullock and resume farming.