A.P. ministers reiterate coalition government’s priority to address agrarian issues

Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar on Thursday informed the newly sworn-in members of the Madanapalle Agricultural Market Committee (AMC) to prioritise the welfare of farmers and promptly solve their issues at the field level.

Addressing the new committee members and farmers, mostly tomato growers from all over Annamayya district, at the AMC yard here, Mr. Manohar reiterated that the coalition government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan was concentrating on the agrarian issues. He added that they were working out concrete modules to ensure minimum support prices (MSP) to the predominant horticulture crops in the region, and thereby prevent crop loss.

The Minister recalled that he had visited Madanapalle in 2019 to study the plight of tomato farmers. He asserted that steps would be initiated to conduct regular reviews by the Agriculture and allied departments to bring stability in the prices.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, who was present on the occasion, said that Madanapalle tomato market continues to be the largest in Asia, as it handles nearly 2 lakh metric tonnes of tomato arrivals annually. He called for initiatives to establish processing units for pulp and powder to boost exports and agrarian income. The Minister said that he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister and the Central agencies.

Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy, on the other hand, said the government was at the forefront in implementing a number of key welfare schemes for farmers. He said that the objective of the ₹1,800-crore Jal Jeevan Mission was to address water scarcity in Rayalaseema region.

Senior officials of Agriculture and other departments from Annamayya, Chittoor, and Kadapa districts were present, apart from the cadres of the coalition parties.