A serious issue is rising in Andhra Pradesh as farmers who gave their land on lease for solar and wind energy projects under YS Jagan government are now feeling cheated. Though they still legally own the land, they say they have lost all control over it. Many are now worried that they may never get their land back the way it was before.
The problem started with the Renewable Energy Export Policy of 2020, brought in by the YS Jagan Mohan government. This policy allowed private companies to take farmland on lease for green energy projects, promising to pay around ₹30,000 per acre every year. But the agreements made between farmers and companies were not uniform or properly explained. There were no standard contracts, and many clauses in the documents seemed to benefit the companies more than the farmers.
In many cases, even though farmers technically own the land, they cannot sell it or use it for anything else for years,sometimes even 30 years. The lease documents are written in complicated English, and many farmers, especially in villages, didn’t fully understand what they were signing. Now they are stuck in long-term contracts they cannot get out of.
This issue is most serious in districts like Anantapur, Kadapa, and Kurnool where large solar parks have already come up. The companies have legally registered the agreements, so farmers are finding it very hard to challenge them in court or with the government.
The new TDP-Jana Sena government is now under pressure to look into this matter. Farmers and activists are accusing the previous government of helping big companies take control of rural land in the name of renewable energy. They are asking for all contracts to be reviewed and for new agreements to be written in local languages with clear terms that protect farmers’ rights.
Farmer unions want the government to step in quickly. They are demanding contracts that are fair, easy to understand, and give farmers the right to sell or use their land freely if they want to.
Renewable energy is important for the future, but Andhra Pradesh’s farmers are afraid they may lose everything if this issue is not taken seriously. Many feel that they are being turned into landless owners,still holding papers, but with no real power over their land.
