Bumper yields have failed to bring cheer to the farmers in the State as lack of marketing and transportation dashed their hopes of getting a good return on their investment. Restrictions in place on movement within and outside the State to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic have adversely impacted farmers, with vegetable growers taking a big hit.
According to information, the minimum support price (MSP) or remunerative price has remained elusive for paddy, tomato, banana and other crops, with even recovery of investment remaining doubtful in some cases.
Paddy is cultivated in 8.81 lakh hectares in the State during rabi with an estimated production of around 61.89 lakh metric tonnes (MT). The government has opened 1,441 paddy purchase centres across the State but the procurement remained at 32.10 lakh MT as on May 27.
“In the first place, there are no proper transportation facilities. Secondly, payments are delayed by the government. As a result, farmers are forced to sell their produce below the MSP,” says K.V.V. Prasad, State general secretary, AP Ryotu Sangham. “Farmers are selling away the produce at ₹1,200 to ₹1,400 per quintal against the MSP of ₹1,888 for ‘A’ grade variety and ₹1,868 for a common variety,” he adds.
‘Procurement not hit’
According to the Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Corporation officials, however, it is too early to say that the COVID-19 restrictions have impacted the procurement process. “The procurement will increase but the numbers can’t be specified as of now,” says a senior official.
AP Rythu Sangham State president Y. Kesava Rao says the much-touted Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) have also failed to help farmers. Taking advantage of the situation, middlemen are paying 10% less than the fixed price besides demanding 10 kg more per bag of paddy, he adds.
The situation is no better for jowar. The government has not been procuring white jowar on the ground that it was not meant for human consumption causing farmers ₹700-800 loss per quintal.
Efforts to reach Markfed officials in this regard have not been successful.
Routine holidays
Similar is the fate of chilli farmers. “The farmers are losing ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 per quintal due to the closure of the chilli marketyard at Guntur,” says D. Sesha Rao, a farmer.
Mirchi marketyard secretary I. Venkateswara Reddy, however, says it is a usual practice to declare holidays for the yard from May 10 but it has been advanced to May 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year. Still, farmers are allowed to sell their produce outside the market through e-nam platform, he remarks.
The plight of farmers who cultivated vegetables is worse. With no takers, farmers are leaving tomato and brinjal unharvested, says Chalamaiah, a farmer leader. The price has fallen to ₹6 a kg from ₹10 and above.
Pulp units being encouraged
Marketing officials say that pulp manufacturing units are being encouraged to buy tomato from farmers and as much as 1,625 MT has been made into puree. The department has also been buying from farmers at a minimum price of ₹5-6 per kg and sending it to Rythu Bazaars, says a senior official.
The price of bananas, a major horticulture crop, is also on the decline.
D. Janardhan, a groundnut farmer in Chittoor district, says the prices of groundnut, sugarcane and other crops are also crashing due to lack of marketing facilities. There is no check though traders have been demanding 5-6 kg extra per bag towards so-called losses, he says.
Even coconut business, especially of the tender one, that sees a huge demand during the summer, has suffered due to the COVID-19 curbs. Coconut is usually exported to Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. However, due to lockdown and other restrictions in many States, local traders have reduced procurement citing difficulties in transportation.
Farmers’ associations say that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the problems caused due to ‘system failure’.
