The Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government is facing criticism for failing to ensure remunerative prices for crops despite the hardships endured by farmers. During the past two years, cultivators of paddy, chilli, cotton, maize, groundnut, tobacco, cocoa, mango and pulses have suffered due to the absence of effective market intervention and Minimum Support Price. The same situation continues this year, with nearly two lakh tonnes of mangoes reportedly left to perish in Chittoor district as farmers failed to get viable prices, while juice factories are functioning as syndicates. Tobacco farmers are staging protests at auction centres over crashing prices, maize and sorghum farmers are forced to sell far below MSP, and Bengal gram growers are selling their produce to middlemen at distress prices.
The Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government had supported farmers through free crop insurance, Rythu Bharosa, zero-interest loans, the Price Stabilisation Fund and RBKs, creating an integrated support system from seed to sale. Those systems have now been dismantled, with RBKs weakened, procurement disrupted and farmers struggling to access quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. Aqua farmers are also facing a severe crisis after feed companies sharply increased prices, with Vannamei and Tiger feed witnessing unprecedented hikes, triggering widespread protests. Despite APSADA provisions requiring stakeholder consultations before price revisions, companies have increased prices without farmer consent, while the regulatory framework has been weakened.
The coalition government’s Annadata Sukhibhava scheme has also drawn criticism, with nearly seven lakh eligible farmers excluded in its third year and substantial investment assistance remaining unpaid. Tenant farmers have been left out of support mechanisms, pushing many into debt. Meanwhile, fertiliser shortages, black-market sales and delays in supply have forced farmers to wait in long queues and purchase inputs at inflated prices. With crop losses mounting, inadequate market support and welfare systems weakening, the farming community continues to face one of its most challenging periods in recent years.
