YSRCP slams Govt for denying MSP to chilli farmers

Tadepalli, March 3: YSRCP MLC Lella Appi Reddy accused the state government of failing to deliver the promised Rs. 11,781 minimum support price (MSP) to chilli farmers. He questioned if even a single unit of chillies was procured at this rate, highlighting the drastic fall in prices from Rs. 27,000 per quintal last year to below Rs. 10,000 now, pushing farmers into distress sales amid unpaid debts. 
Reddy criticized the state for not releasing funds and delaying action, alleging a conspiracy to benefit middlemen by seeking trader details two months after sales began.
He questioned whose interests the coalition government serves, contrasting the previous YSRCP regime’s Rs. 3,000 crore Price Stabilization Fund with the current Rs. 300 crore allocation, a tenth of the earlier amount, calling it a shameful neglect of farmers. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to the Guntur chilli yard has prompted the government’s limited response, which included review meetings and a letter to the Centre, but no concrete relief, he said and slammed the government for politicizing farmers’ issues despite a Legislative Council motion, urging it to prioritize their welfare.
Reddy emphasized Guntur’s significance, with its Rs. 10,000 crore annual chilli trade and 150 cold storage units holding 1.3 crore bags, making the government’s apathy deplorable. 
He accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of indifference, warning that such neglect threatens farmers’ livelihoods and the state’s agricultural legacy.