Telangana’s vegetable cultivation area has fallen nearly 80 per cent over 11 years, a policy expert has said, flagging growing dependence on other states. He urged the government to strengthen procurement, credit, markets, seeds, land-use policy and cold-chain infrastructure
Published Date – 12 September 2026, 03:58 PM
Hyderabad: The area under vegetable cultivation in Telangana has fallen from about 5.45 lakh acres in 2013-14 to just 1.13 lakh acres in 2024-25 — a decline of nearly 80 per cent. Telangana today ranks 15th among Indian states in terms of area under vegetable cultivation and 14th in production.
Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi, public policy expert, in a representation to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, highlighted that the consequence was a growing dependence on other states. The government’s own Assembly reply records that about 6 lakh metric tonnes of vegetables were imported from other states in 2025-26 alone, against an estimated state requirement of around 40 lakh metric tonnes.
“Vegetables are a primary, affordable source of protein, fibre and micronutrients for most Telangana households. As local supply shrinks and prices become more volatile, it is women and children in low-income urban and peri-urban households — already vulnerable to anaemia and undernutrition — who bear the sharpest impact,” he wrote.
Dr Reddy pointed out that several converging factors underlie this decline, most visibly around Hyderabad but increasingly across the State. These factors include the diversion of common and fertile agricultural land to real estate and industrial use; soil erosion, nutrient depletion and chemical contamination from unregulated fertiliser and pesticide use; wide price volatility that penalises farmers regardless of harvest size; the absence of a State Minimum Support Price for vegetables; and the lack of a dedicated procurement mechanism.
Poor access to institutional credit, with no simplified loan window suited to vegetable farmers’ schedules and cash-flow cycles; the absence of state-supported vegetable seed production or a quality certification system that farmers can trust; and inadequate market infrastructure, among others, were also cited as factors.
Dr Reddy urged the government to explicitly acknowledge the decline in vegetable cultivation, with measurable targets, in the CURE plan and the Telangana Rising 2047 framework. He also called for the constitution of a dedicated vegetables division/directorate, with clear nodal responsibility for cultivation, seed supply, marketing and farmer support.
He also suggested a sustainable land-use policy that curtails the diversion of fertile agricultural and common land to non-agricultural use, with legal protection near urban areas; an MSP for vegetables backed by an actual procurement mechanism; a dedicated fund or special credit line for vegetable farmers; market reforms; and a substantial increase in physical and weekly markets.
In his communication, Dr Reddy called for support for crop rotation, non-chemical/low-input cultivation, urban and peri-urban agriculture, and a dedicated State vegetable seed production and certification programme. He also sought climate-resilient variety development and farmer advisories to address rising temperatures and rainfall variability.
Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi also requested the Chief Minister to strengthen transport and cold-chain infrastructure, including the revival of night-halt bus services, stabilised MMTS schedules, support for basic vegetable processing, and price regulation mechanisms.
