The chilli that commanded ₹11,000 per quintal last month is now getting only ₹6,000 even as the ruling party leaders claim that farmers were happy under the TRS regime, said TDP senior leaders Revuri Prakash Reddy and D. Sitakka.
The Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, and Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao should visit the agriculture market in Warangal and interact with the farmers to know the ground reality.
Interaction with farmers
TDP leaders led by Mr. Prakash Reddy visited the Enumamula agriculture market and interacted with the farmers. Speaking to newsmen later, they demanded that the Markfed buy chilli at ₹11,000 per quintal and prevent traders from exploiting the innocent farmers. The State government should compensate the farmers who sold their produce for a low price to the middlemen. “Mr. Harish Rao himself had asked the farmers not to cultivate cotton as chilli had good potential for export and would command a good price. But that’s not the case here. By not taking any measures, the State government is encouraging the middlemen to exploit the farmers,” Mr. Prakash Reddy said.
‘Farmers misled’
The State government discouraged farmers from cultivating cotton stating that pulses would command a good price. But dal and other pulses, which earned ₹7,500 per quintal last year, were being bought at ₹4,300 per quintal now. Instead of guiding the farmers, the government misled them. Most of the farmers opted for pulses and were now getting a raw deal. Mr. Prakash Reddy said the Chief Minister and Mr. Harish Rao announced that they would set up a market intervention fund last year. But so far, nothing in that regard has taken shape in the State.
Demand for MSP
“We demand that the government announce the minimum support price (MSP) for chilli and pulses and ensure that the farmers are benefited,” the TDP leaders said.
