Coalition Govt fails farmers completely

Amaravati, March 11: YSRCP MLC Varudu Kalyani has accused the Andhra Pradesh coalition government of utterly failing farmers, alleging gross neglect of the agricultural sector. 
Speaking to media outside the Assembly, she slammed the government for deceiving farmers by denying them investment aid and fair crop prices, leaving them in distress while authorities remain unresponsive. In a Legislative Council discussion on agriculture, Kalyani highlighted the coalition’s negligence, accusing it of abandoning farmers in their time of need.
She criticized the government for backtracking on its pre-election promise of Rs. 20,000 annual aid per farmer under the "Annadata Sukheebhava" scheme, claiming it now includes Rs. 6,000 from the Centre, a detail omitted earlier. Kalyani noted a sharp decline in cultivated land from 86 lakh to 70 lakh acres in the coalition’s 10-month tenure, worsened by floods, cyclones, and droughts affecting another 10 lakh acres, yet no compensation or support has been provided.
The MLC also flagged the absence of minimum support prices (MSP) for crops like chillies, tomatoes, and paddy, with chilli prices crashing from Rs. 21,000–27,000 per quintal under the previous YSRCP regime to Rs. 9,000 now. Tomato purchases promised at Rs. 8 per kg remain unfulfilled, and cotton prices have dropped from Rs. 10,000 to below Rs. 5,000 per quintal. She accused the coalition of dismantling Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which once supplied quality inputs, leaving farmers vulnerable to natural and administrative failures. Kalyani urged the government to honor its commitments and revive the collapsing agricultural sector.