According to information, the minimum support price (MSP) or remunerative price has remained elusive for paddy, tomato, banana and other crops, with even recovery of investment remaining doubtful in some cases. Paddy is cultivated in 8.81 lakh hectares in the State during rabi with an estimated production of around 61.89 lakh metric tonnes (MT). The government has opened 1,441 paddy purchase centres across the State but the procurement remained at 32.10 lakh MT as on May 27. AP Rythu Sangham State president Y. Kesava Rao says the much-touted Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) have also failed to help farmers. Farmers’ associations say that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the problems caused due to ‘system failure’.

Source: The Hindu May 29, 2021 16:16 UTC