The Andhra Pradesh government has set up a ₹3,000-crore price stabilisation fund for farm produce and taking up market intervention measures, whenever necessary, to reduce prices for consumers and at the same time ensure remunerative prices for farmers, according to State Marketing Minister M Venkata Ramana.
He was briefing the media in the secretariat at Amaravati on Monday on such recent steps after the YSR Congress government assumed charge. “Ours is the first government to go to the rescue of farmers and common consumers. Recently, when the prices of onion touched ₹50-60 a kg in the market, we bought onions in Maharashtra and other places and supplied them to consumers through rythu bazars at ₹25 a kg,” he said.
He said when the prices of tomatoes crashed in Kurnool district, the government had recently taken up market intervention, buying them at ₹20-25 a kg from farmers and supplying them to consumers through rythu bazars at ₹11 a kg, thereby eliminating middlemen.
When the Bengal gram crop was badly hit in seven districts of the State, compensation was announced to 60,000 farmers to the extent of ₹330 crore and roughly half the farmers had got it. The remaining farmers would also get it soon, he added, stating that the delay was due to identification issues.
Similarly, the AP Markfed (marketing federation) was taking up market intervention measures with ₹100 crore to ensure remunerative to farmers cultivating pulses.
Ramana said the first priority of the government was the welfare of farmers and several steps had been taken to improve the situation.