*Farmers crushed without MSP: Rs.3,500 cr loss exposes anti-farmer govt failure*

Tadepalli,  May 5,: YSRCP spokesperson and former MLA Kaile Anil Kumar stated that the agriculture sector has plunged into a deep crisis after the coalition government came to power, with farmers not even receiving Minimum Support Price (MSP). Addressing the media at the YSRCP Central Office, he said the government has failed to honour key promises made by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, and Minister Lokesh, including the assurance of a Price Stabilisation Fund. He said maize farmers are facing severe distress, as cultivation costs range between Rs.2,000–Rs.2,200 per quintal while market prices have fallen to Rs.1,400–Rs.1,600, far below the MSP of Rs.2,400, resulting in losses of nearly Rs.3,500 crore to farmers across the state.
He stated that the crisis extends beyond maize, with crops like chickpea, banana, coconut, pulses, and cotton also failing to fetch remunerative prices, while tomato prices have crashed to as low as Rs.2 per kg. He said the government has not provided input subsidies even after crop losses across nearly 15 lakh acres due to cyclones and has completely ignored tenant farmers. The absence of procurement mechanisms has left farmers dependent on traders, leading to widespread financial distress.
Contrasting this with the previous YSRCP government under Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, he said agriculture functioned as a “festival of cultivation,” supported by Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) that ensured assistance from sowing to sale. He noted that the government actively procured crops through Markfed, including maize procurement of 4.17 lakh tonnes in 2019–20, 3.06 lakh tonnes in 2020–21, and 73,302 tonnes in 2022–23, ensuring price stability and preventing farmer losses. He demanded that the government immediately intervene, procure maize and other crops at MSP through Markfed, and fulfil its promise of establishing a Price Stabilisation Fund, warning that continued neglect will lead to strong resistance from farmers across the state.