Amaravati, Mar 27 (TNT) : In a significant move aimed at supporting distressed maize farmers, Minister for Agriculture, Kinjarapu Atchannaidu on Friday urged immediate intervention from the Centre, prompting Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to write to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking urgent relief measures.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Atchannaidu informed the Chief Minister that despite record cultivation of maize across 4.83 lakh hectares during the 2025–26 rabi season, yielding around 37 lakh metric tonnes, farmers are facing heavy losses due to market prices falling below the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
Atchannaidu pointed out that many farmers are being forced to sell their produce at distress prices to meet urgent financial needs, underlining the need for immediate central support.
Responding swiftly, Chief Minister Naidu wrote to the Centre requesting implementation of the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to ensure remunerative prices for farmers. The state has also sought that the Centre bear 100% of the losses for Andhra Pradesh, instead of the current limited coverage.
The Chief Minister further urged the Centre to expand the scheme’s coverage from the existing 25% to 100% of production and extend its implementation until June 2026.
The move is being seen as a proactive political and administrative intervention by the state government to address agrarian distress, particularly at a time when falling crop prices have become a key concern among farmers.
TNT KM
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