Associated Press Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu restores farmers’ confidence by securing MSP’s produce

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday gave a serious look at the plight of tobacco farmers, the fall in cocoa prices and the losses suffered by pepper farmers.

At a review meeting, Mr Naidu asked officials to ensure the minimum support price of the product so that the government’s reputation is not damaged in order to restore farmers’ confidence.

The Chief Minister insisted that farmers were rescued in distress and asked officials to ensure that they would not suffer any damage under any circumstances. “Traders must immediately start purchasing tobacco at a valuable price,” he said, adding that the process should not be stopped with any excuses.

High definition Burley Tobacco

Mr Naidu further stated that the company should buy HD Burley tobacco at a price of Rs 12,500 per punch based on quality. GPI and ITC companies must start buying 20 million kilograms immediately. Procurement should be monitored daily through the control room and WhatsApp group. The chief minister said the Ministry of Agriculture must report procurement details every two days.

Officials told the chief minister that in the 2024-25 season, tobacco cultivation ranges from 190,456 hectares, including FCV, White Burley and HD Burley varieties, resulting in a yield of 450 million kg of 450 million kg. They said that yield unexpectedly doubled due to farmers’ preference for tobacco cultivation over other crops, creating new problems.

Mr. Naidu refers to cocoa, emphasizing the need to ensure the price of the product. He asked Mondelez Company to buy cocoa beans at a price of no less than Rs 500 per kilogram. Mr. Naidu directed Mondelez to develop a plan covering all aspects from farming to value-added. He also stressed the need to develop a special model similar to the cocoa cultivation and marketing used by oil palm.

Suggestions for pepper farmers

The Chief Minister directed officials from the Agricultural Marketing Department to prepare a list of farmers who sell chili peppers through the Agricultural Market Committee. A study should be conducted to assess the extent of losses suffered by chili farmers. The middleman should be completely excluded from the list and should only include real farmers. He added: “It is also necessary to raise awareness among chili farmers to reduce pesticide use and follow quality standards that are consistent with export requirements.”

The Chief Minister directed officials to buy the remaining rice fields from farmers across the state and encouraged them to cultivate the great Paddy (Sanna) variety.

Officials told the Chief Minister that so far, 1.762 million tons of Paddy have been purchased from 141,144 farmers in this small season, while Rs 3,258 crore is attributed to their accounts.

By comparison, 1.097 million tons of Paddy have been purchased from 49,866 farmers in the rabies season under the previous government, while Rs 1,103 crore was paid to them.

Officials said 3.595 million tons of Paddy were purchased from 565,369 farmers during the current Kharif season, and the sold-out Rs 822.78 crore. Officials said under the leadership of the previous government, 2.997 billion tons of Paddy were purchased from 497,907 farmers in the 2023-24 Kharif season, and Rs 6549 crore were paid.