Former Chief Minister and YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy issued a stern warning to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu during his visit to Brahmanapalli, after witnessing the severe distress of banana farmers who are being forced to abandon their crops due to collapsing prices and government apathy. Speaking to the media after interacting with farmers, YS Jagan said the government’s negligence towards agriculture had pushed the entire farming community into crisis. If the CM fails to change course, he said, a statewide farmers’ movement will be launched.
Farmers’ lives in reverse under Chandrababu’s rule
YS Jagan said that in just 18 months of the coalition government, Andhra Pradesh witnessed nearly 16 natural calamities, floods, droughts, cyclones, yet farmers received zero input subsidy. Even the recent Midhili cyclone losses, amounting to nearly Rs. 1,100 crore, were underreported and compensation was denied. The government stopped e-crop, dismantled free crop insurance, and left 66 lakh farmers without coverage, compared to 80 lakh insured during YSRCP rule with payouts of Rs. 7,400 crore.
No remunerative price for any Crop
YS Jagan said no crop—paddy, pulses, chilli, tobacco, onions, tomatoes, coconuts or mangoes—is receiving a fair price. Middlemen, in collusion with Chandrababu, are exploiting farmers. In contrast, YSRCP had monitored every acre through e-crop, displayed RBK price data, used the CM app to track markets, and procured crops worth Rs. 7,746 crore to protect farmers even during COVID-19.
Banana growers are facing the worst crisis. Under YSRCP, banana prices touched Rs. 32,000 per tonne. Today, the price has crashed below Rs. 2,000, leaving crops to rot. Exports that once rose from 25,000 tonnes to 3 lakh tonnes under YSRCP have collapsed under the current regime.
Broken promises, rising burdens
YS Jagan accused Chandrababu of abandoning investment support schemes, scrapping zero-interest loans, and forcing farmers to buy fertilisers in the black market. He said YSRCP provided Rs. 13,500 annually under Rythu Bharosa, while Chandrababu promised Rs. 20,000 but delivered only Rs. 10,000 in two years—pocketing the rest.
Students are also suffering: Rs. 5,600 crore in fee reimbursement and Rs. 2,200 crore in Vasathi Deevena remain unpaid. Welfare schemes like Super Six, Super Seven, Amma Vodi and pensions have been slashed or crippled.
Loot of Public Assets
YS Jagan alleged rampant sale of government properties, including new medical colleges, and plunder of silica and quartz mines. In Amaravati, crores are being spent recklessly, with construction costs exceeding Rs. 10,000 per sq.ft.
“If You Don’t Change, We Will Fight Alongside Farmers”
YS Jagan warned that if Chandrababu continues to ignore farmers’ suffering, the YSRCP will join hands with farmers and launch mass protests across the state. “God will punish him, and people will bring him down. The time to unseat Chandrababu Naidu is near,” he said.
A farmer present at the interaction confronted Chandrababu directly through the media: “You call agriculture useless, but what do you eat to survive? If farmers stop cultivating even for one season, what will people eat?. The anger in Brahmanapalli reflected the growing unrest in the state’s farming community.
