Farmers’ association demands ₹2,000 MSP for onions

The Andhra Pradesh Farmers’ Association urged the State government to immediately announce and implement a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹2,000 per quintal for onions, citing steep input costs and exploitation of farmers by trader syndicates.

Association State president V. Krishnaiah and State general secretary K. Prabhakar Reddy, in a statement on Monday, said that onion is extensively cultivated in Kurnool district, and every year, the crop arrives in the market between September and December. This year, the arrivals began 15 days earlier than usual. Continuous rains over the past two weeks have damaged much of the harvested stock. Farmers allege that despite their struggles, traders have formed cartels and are offering only ₹500 per quintal for quality onions, pushing cultivators into distress, they said.

Although the State government announced an MSP of ₹1,200 per quintal, the association said that onion cultivation costs between ₹80,000 and ₹1 lakh per acre, with yields averaging 50 to 60 quintals per acre. To break even, the MSP must be at least ₹2,000 per quintal, the farmers’ leaders argued.

They also demanded that the government curb onion inflows from Maharashtra, which are undercutting Kurnool farmers, and that MARKFED purchase onions directly from farmers to supply through fair-price shops, ensuring both farmers’ and consumers’ interests are protected, they said.

Association leaders recalled that mango, tobacco, and chilli farmers suffered heavy losses due to price crashes earlier, despite assurances of support from the government. They warned that onion farmers should not be subjected to the same fate and pressed the government to take firm action against trader syndicates.

Arrest condemned

They also condemned the preventive arrest of CITU Annamayya district president Chandrasekhar, who has been leading a movement for remunerative prices for papaya farmers in the Rajampeta and Railway Koduru regions. Police reportedly took him into custody late on August 31 (Sunday) night ahead of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s scheduled visit to Rajampeta for pension distribution, allegedly to prevent him from raising farmers’ issues during the event.

The association condemn such arrests and demanded that, instead of silencing farmer leaders, the government should address the plight of papaya growers by ensuring a price of ₹15 per kilogram and cracking down middlemen who exploit them.