The uncommon ceremony of a frog wedding was witnessed in the BG Venkatapur village in Jagadevpur mandal here, when the villagers practiced the custom after a few years in the hopes of receiving bountiful rains. Children walked around the villages carrying the newlywed pair, while lady farmers gave water to the two frogs that were washed in turmeric paste and forced to "tie the knot" while mantras were chanted.
 
The ceremony was held in response to Siddipet's sporadic rains, which alarmed the farming community since the approximately 60,000 acres of cotton seeds that farmers had sowed had failed to sprout.
 
During the first week of June, when the district had decent rainfall, farmers had gone to sow cotton seeds. Nevertheless, only a few areas of the district had rain during the past ten days, with very little rain falling in several mandals.
 
According to estimates from the Agriculture Department, during the Vanakalam season, farmers will cultivate a variety of crops on 5.60 lakh acres. These included 3 lakh acres of rice, 1.80 lakh acres of cotton, 60,000 acres of maize, and 10,000 acres of red gram.
 
But only 60,000 acres of cotton were sown by the farmers; the remaining land was left to wait for further rain. While they wait for the rain, the farmers are saving the cotton crops that have already blossomed by using sprinklers and water cannons. To seed one acre, farmers need to purchase two packets of cotton seeds, each costing Rs. 800.
 
Farmers would have to replant in any areas where the cotton seeds did not germinate, incurring additional seed costs of Rs. 1,600 per acre in addition to labour costs.
 
Farmers of maize, meanwhile, have not started any seeding yet since they are awaiting the rains. In anticipation of seeding were the paddy farmers as well. The farmer's concern is whether the frog wedding will improve their lot in life, particularly as farmers in telangana have recently faced hardships.
 
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SIBY JEYYA

19/06/2024 09:09 AM