Tomato and chilli prices have fallen more than expected: Former minister K. atchannaidu
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Andhra Pradesh state president K. Atchannaidu has said that there is a crisis in the agriculture sector due to the anti-farmer policies.
The former minister said in a statement on Thursday 23 September 2021 that due to lack of remunerative prices, farmers are falling into the debt trap. Tomato and chilli prices have fallen more than expected. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy remained a mute spectator and completely failed to save the farmers.
Tomato farmers in Kurnool, Anantapur and Chittoor were hardly getting ₹1 to ₹5 per kg. They were also unable to meet the transportation charges and expenses on the porters. The price of green chillies has come down to Rs 3 a kg. Graduate farmers were not harvesting the produce in view of the steep fall in prices and the stark mismatch between expenditure and market prices.
Mirchi prices have come down to ₹3,000 quintal at Hindupur Market Yard. Cotton farmers were also facing similar difficulties. The government was cutting prices when the moisture content exceeded 8 per cent. The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) was not buying when the humidity was more than 12 per cent.
“What was Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kanna Babu doing when farmers were facing difficulties? What happened to the ₹3,000 crore price stabilization fund?,” he asked, and urged the state government to take necessary steps to benefit farmers.
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