Members of the Andhra Pradesh Farmers Association addressed the media in Vijayawada on Thursday. | Photo credit: GN RAO
Farmer groups have demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government immediately purchase paddy at the declared minimum support price (MSP), which will ensure smooth procurement without delays.
They urged the officials to coordinate measures related to moisture percentage testing, transport wagons, gunny bags and weighing devices so that the harvested rice can be transported to the mills without further loss.
Addressing a media conference attended by farmers from Krishna, Guntur and NTR districts on Wednesday, representatives of various farm bodies alleged that the government’s pronouncements have remained only on paper while implementation at the level is “failing miserably”.
Farmers said that despite repeated assurances and publicity that problems would be resolved immediately through helplines, the reality of shopping centers in rural areas is different.
“Paddy is being bought at ₹1,400 to ₹1,470 per quintal, which is well below the MSP and the reason given is the high percentage of moisture in the produce,” said Vaka Ramachandra Rao, a tenant from Challapalli.
Anne Subbarao of Katur village said harvesting machinery is inadequate, forcing farmers to pay exorbitant rents and resort to distress sales.
Farmer Ishaq of Undavalli said that even high-quality grain was forcibly sold at ₹1,400. Chirravur’s Subbarao claimed the procurement process was “extremely slow” and the recent cyclone-induced rains had forced farmers to sell their produce at “throwaway prices”.
“Officials are refusing to provide gun bags and transport equipment, deliberately delaying the weighing of rice,” he said.
Palle Krishna and Srinivasa Reddy of Vijayawada Rural Mandal alleged that farmers were forced to sell their produce at lower prices.
Tenant Farmers Association general secretary M. Haribabu reported that they were facing similar problems in Movva mandal, adding that “purchase staff were unable to explain moisture parameters and farmers were directly sent to private mills where millers dictate prices”.
“Even after we informed the Collector, Joint Collector, RDO, Tahsildar and civil stock purchase officials, no action was taken. Farmers are forced to sell their produce at ₹1,470 per quintal, incurring a loss of ₹200 to ₹300 per bag. In a ₹1,000 village, the total loss is ₹700 acre crore,” he said.
Leaders Y. Keshava Rao, Jonna Siva Shankar and others spoke.
Published – 05 Dec 2025 0:16 IST
