Farmers in Andhra in crisis as state govt fails on MSP procurement

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.

- NARESH AKKENA

During 2025-26, Redgram was cultivated across nearly 796 lakhacresin 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