Guntur, February 23: Former minister and YSRCP Guntur district president Ambati Rambabu strongly criticized Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for failing to support the struggling chilli farmers in the state.
Addressing the media at the Guntur camp office, he accused the government of neglecting the crisis and misleading farmers with political theatrics instead of providing real solutions.
Ambati Rambabu highlighted that the current administration has not procured even a single quintal of chilli at a support price, despite the severe market crisis.
He questioned why the government has not facilitated chilli procurement through MarkFed and why it has instead shifted responsibility to the central government, which has never intervened in such purchases. He pointed out that under the YSRCP government, chilli prices had reached Rs. 27,000 per quintal, whereas today, farmers are struggling to sell even at Rs. 7,000 per quintal.
The former minister criticized the state government for ignoring the Horticulture Department’s report from January, which had already warned about declining chilli yields, rising input costs, and falling market prices. He noted that it was only after former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited the Guntur chilli yard to understand the farmers’ plight that the government was forced to respond. However, instead of taking concrete action, the government has resorted to deceptive tactics.
Ambati Rambabu also questioned the Chief Minister’s recent letter to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the central government to intervene. He pointed out that NAFED has never procured chilli in the past and criticized the state government for not utilizing MarkFed for procurement. He argued that if the central government were to intervene, the state could facilitate purchases through MarkFed and supply the produce accordingly.
Under the YSRCP administration in 2021, when chilli prices fell, the government had announced a minimum support price of Rs. 7,000 per quintal. Given the current market conditions, he asserted that the support price should now be at least Rs. 14,000 to Rs. 15,000 per quintal. He recalled that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had previously ensured procurement through MarkFed, spent Rs. 65,000 crore on paddy procurement, Rs. 7,800 crore on other crops, and established a Rs. 3,000 crore price stabilization fund. The government had even procured perishable crops like bananas and pumpkins during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the current administration has completely dismantled the Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs), which were a vital support system for farmers.
Furthermore, Ambati Rambabu condemned the state government for using law enforcement as a tool of political vendetta. He questioned why cases were being filed against YS Jagan for visiting chilli farmers in distress, while the same election code was overlooked for events like the Vijayawada musical night attended by the Chief Minister and his ministers. He alleged that the sudden withdrawal of Jagan’s Z+ category security on the day of his visit to the farmers was a deliberate move. He vowed to take legal action against this, holding the state DGP accountable for acting under political pressure.
Ambati Rambabu stated that the YSRCP is ready to face any legal battles in defense of farmers and will continue to fight against the state government’s anti-farmer policies.
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