Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has written to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking immediate intervention to support maize farmers in Andhra Pradesh. The request includes procurement of the crop produced during the rabi season and implementation of a price deficiency payment scheme (PDPS).
In the letter, Naidu highlighted that maize farmers in the state are anxious as market prices continue to fall steadily. The current market price of maize ranges between Rs 1,600 and Rs 1,700 per quintal, which is significantly below the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,400 per quintal.
The Chief Minister noted that Andhra Pradesh is expected to produce about 42.06 lakh metric tonnes of maize this season, with an additional 14.26 lakh metric tonnes still under harvesting. He expressed concern that farmers would incur substantial losses if the government does not intervene promptly.
Naidu urged the Centre to extend support under the PM-AASHA scheme by directly compensating maize farmers for the price difference. He warned that the absence of central support for maize procurement would place a significant financial burden on the state government.
Requesting special consideration for Andhra Pradesh, the CM sought 100% central funding for price deficiency payments and asked for the scheme to be extended until June 2026. He also requested immediate approvals to implement the scheme in coordination with NAFED and AP Markfed to ensure timely relief for farmers.
