Onion, tomato farmers on the brink amid steep fall in prices, govt. neglect, says YSRCP chief Jagan

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday accused the TDP-led NDA government of gross neglect of the farmers amid steep fall in the prices of onion and tomato in Andhra Pradesh.

In a post on X, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “The records which Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has set in pushing crop prices to rock-bottom levels cannot be matched by anyone.”

“In Kurnool, onion is being sold for ₹3 per kg and tomato for ₹1.50 per kg. Are these prices for farmers to survive? Should the farmer not live?” he asked.

He alleged that despite farmers’ struggles, the Chief Minister had shown no compassion. “If a government does not come to the rescue of farmers in distress, it is as good as having no government at all,” he added.

The government had announced onion procurement at ₹1,200 per quintal, but reduced it to a “mere eyewash” by conducting token auctions in Kurnool markets, he alleged.

“When the actual price is collapsing, how are online stores like BigBasket selling onion at ₹29 to ₹32 per kg, and even rythu bazaars not selling below ₹25 per kg? Why is the farmer alone denied a fair price? This is nothing but deliberate neglect,” he said.

Stating that tomato growers, too, were throwing their harvest on roads due to lack of buyers, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy demanded immediate government intervention.