Thanks to the escalating land prices in the proposed capital region, a majority of farmers in Tullur and its neighbouring villages are yet to take up agriculture operations this season.
Farmers appear to be in two minds as they are not sure whether or not to keep the lands or sell them away if prices continue to soar further. The lush green surroundings that hitherto greeted visitors to Vundavalli, Tadepalli, Tadikonda, Tullur, Penumaka and other villages are fast disappearing as many real estate firms have come up after the announcement of the new capital. The region is known for cultivation of a variety of flowers, fruits and vegetables. And, a majority of those engaged in the farming operations are small and marginal farmers.
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The realty firms that set their eyes on the proposed capital region occupied a major chunk of fertile lands and the area had now become the hot bed for real estate deals. Farmers in Tullur, Rayapudi, Nidamarru, Neerukonda, Dondapadu, Kuragallu, Vadlamanu, Velagapudi villages, to name a few, handed over their fields to realtors on payment of advance bringing agricultural operations to a grinding halt.
“The villages along Krishna are known for cultivating vegetables, fruits and flower varieties. Farmers from the region also supply huge stocks of vegetables to Vijayawada, Prakasam, Nellore and other markets. But, this is not the situation anymore,” said a trader B. Ramana of Guntur district.
“The fertile lands in Tullur and the neighbouring mandals kept us busy throughout the year as farmers are bound to be engaged in cultivation of one crop or the other. I am raising cotton in 30 cents of land. But, realtors are after us luring with attractive prices,” said a farmer V. Hanumantha Rao.
The scenario is likely to be same in case of dairy units and an agri-allied industry, mostly managed by small farmers, he said.
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