Tadepalli, Dec 29: MVS Nagi Reddy, General Secretary (Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare) of the YSR Congress Party and former Vice-Chairman of the AP Agriculture Mission, expressed serious concern over the deepening crisis faced by farmers due to the government’s failure to ensure remunerative prices. During 2025–26, Redgram was cultivated across nearly 7.96 lakh acres in the state, largely in rain-fed dryland areas where the crop is grown only once a year. Though the MSP for Redgram is Rs. 8,000 per quintal, farmers are being forced to sell their produce at Rs. 6,500–6,600, suffering heavy losses. In neighbouring Karnataka, the government has opened procurement centres and is purchasing Redgram at MSP, but in Andhra Pradesh no such mechanism exists, leaving farmers at the mercy of traders.
He pointed out that Redgram is mainly cultivated in Palnadu, Prakasam, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts. While last year’s production stood at 171 lakh tonnes, this year it is estimated to fall sharply to 117 lakh tonnes. The average yield has also declined from 473 kg per hectare last year to 401 kg this year, clearly showing the combined impact of adverse conditions and official neglect.
The situation is equally alarming for maize farmers. Although the MSP for maize is Rs. 2,400 per quintal, farmers are forced to sell at prices ranging between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 1,900. Maize was cultivated over 4.6 lakh acres this season, but yields have declined significantly. While Telangana has already begun procurement through government centres, the Andhra Pradesh government has failed to take any such steps, forcing farmers into distress sales. Last year, maize yield averaged 4,710 kg per hectare, whereas this year it is estimated at only 4,254 kg, with ground-level realities suggesting even lower output.
MVS Nagi Reddy said the crisis extends beyond these two crops, as farmers across the state are suffering due to erratic weather, reduced yields and crashing market prices. The situation has been aggravated by the government’s refusal to procure crops at MSP, scrapping of free crop insurance, failure to implement zero-interest crop loans, and betrayal of farmers under the Annadata Sukhibhava investment support scheme. All these together have pushed the farming community into severe financial distress. He warned that the government remains completely indifferent to farmers’ suffering and reminded that the tears of a farmer are never ordinary, they foretell grave consequences.
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