*Govt refuses to procure Crops, Maize Farmers Face Rs. 3,000 Cr Loss: MVS Nagi Reddy*

Tadepalli,April 18: YSRCP General Secretary (Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare) MVS Nagi Reddy strongly criticised the coalition government, stating that its admission of inability to procure crops due to lack of funds is both irresponsible and alarming, especially when farmers are in deep distress. He said the state government has a clear responsibility to ensure procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP), particularly for maize farmers who are facing a severe crisis. Despite procurement being carried out in neighbouring states like Telangana, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh, the Andhra Pradesh government has failed to act and has merely limited itself to writing letters to the Centre.

He pointed out that during the current Rabi season, maize was cultivated in 5.02 lakh hectares, far exceeding initial estimates of 1.96 lakh hectares, with production crossing 35 lakh tonnes against the projected 16.31 lakh tonnes. Due to lack of government procurement and absence of market competition, farmers are being forced to sell maize at Rs. 1,400 to Rs. 1,800 per quintal, far below the MSP of Rs. 2,400, while the cost of production ranges between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 2,200 per quintal, pushing farmers into heavy losses. He said the failure to open procurement centres has left farmers at the mercy of middlemen.

Contrasting this with the previous YSRCP government, he noted that maize procurement was actively undertaken through Markfed, with 4.17 lakh tonnes procured in 2019–20, 3.06 lakh tonnes in 2020–21, and 73,302 tonnes in 2022–23. He stated that due to the current government’s negligence, maize farmers in the state are likely to incur losses ranging from Rs. 2,500 crore to Rs. 3,000 crore. He demanded that the government immediately wake up from its inaction and take urgent steps to procure maize at MSP and provide relief to farmers, who are being pushed into an unprecedented financial crisis under the coalition rule.