'One kg banana selling at fifty paise, cheaper than matchbox in Andhra Pradesh': YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy

Amaravati: YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday accused the Andhra Pradesh government of abandoning farmers "resulting in one kilogram of bananas being sold in distress for as low as fifty paise, cheaper than a matchbox or a single biscuit".

Terming it a "cruel" blow to farmers who invested lakhs of rupees and months of hard work, Reddy said they are only recieving pain in return.

"Hello India, look towards Andhra Pradesh! one kilogram of bananas is being sold for just Rs 0.50! yes, you heard it right, fifty paise. This is the plight of banana farmers in AP (Andhra Pradesh)," the YSRCP chief said in a post on 'X'.

Not just bananas, onions, tomatoes and other crops are also not receiving remunerative prices, he claimed.

Free crop insurance, input subsidies during calamities and cultivation support were not provided to farmers as promised by the TDP-led NDA government, he alleged.

Reddy said under the previous YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024, banana prices were maintained at an average of Rs 25,000 per tonne and special trains were operated to New Delhi to prevent distress sales, while cold storages were constructed across the state.

He further expressed concern over reports that farmers were unable to recover even basic production costs and were being forced to sell their produce at throwaway prices, making agriculture "non-viable and unsustainable."

The YSRCP chief said that the current collapse raises the larger question of the value of farmers' labour, noting that "if food is worth Rs 0.5 today, the hands that grow it are being denied dignity."

Meanwhile, there was no immediate reaction from the ruling TDP.