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YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLC Lella Appi Reddy accused the State government of failing to deliver the promised ₹11,781 minimum support price (MSP) to chilli farmers.
‘’The government has not released funds and is delaying necessary action. It looks like a conspiracy to benefit middlemen by seeking trader details two months after sales began,’‘ he said in a statement on Monday.
Highlighting the drastic fall in prices from ₹27,000 per quintal last year to below ₹10,000 now, pushing farmers into distress sales amid unpaid debts, he sought to know whether the government had procured even a single unit of chillies.
During the previous YSRCP regime, ₹3,000 crore was allocated for the Price Stabilisation Fund. ‘‘The present government, however, allocated ₹300 crore, which is a tenth of the earlier amount. It is shameful that the State government is neglecting farmers,’‘ he said.
Former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to the Guntur chilli yard a few days ago had prompted the government’s limited response, which included review meetings and a letter to the Centre, but no concrete relief was provided, he alleged.
‘’Guntur district has a record of ₹10,000 crore annual chilli trade and 150 cold storage units holding 1.3 crore bags, but the government’s apathy is deplorable. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is indifferent to the farmers’ problem and neglecting agriculture,’‘ he said.
Published – March 04, 2025 12:43 am IST
