Farmers cultivating red gram (pigeon pea) in Andhra Pradesh have become the latest victims of the state's worsening agrarian crisis, caught between plummeting yields and crashing market prices that are severely undermining their livelihoods.
MSP Promise vs. Market Reality
Despite the government announcing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 8,000 per quintal for red gram, the ground reality tells a starkly different story. As harvesting reaches its peak, cultivators are compelled to sell their produce to private traders at a meager Rs 6,500 to Rs 6,600 per quintal. This significant gap, where market prices are over Rs 1,400 less than the promised support price, has raised serious concerns about income security, especially in rainfed regions.
"Had the procurement centres opened on time, we would not have to go around traders. We waited for days hoping for the government to step in. Finally, with loans to repay and no storage facility, we were forced to sell our produce at a loss," lamented Nalluri Venkateswarlu, a red gram farmer from Prakasam district.
Failed Procurement and Comparative Distress
The farmers highlight a glaring administrative failure, pointing to the neighbouring state of Karnataka, where government procurement centres are already operational and purchasing red gram at the full MSP of Rs 8,000. They argue that a similar timely intervention by the Andhra Pradesh government could have prevented these distress sales.
Although state authorities gave repeated assurances about opening procurement centres "shortly," no such centres have become operational so far during the crucial market arrival period. Red gram cultivation in Andhra is primarily concentrated in the districts of Anantapur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Nandyal, Palnadu, and Sri Sathya Sai.
Plummeting Production and Yield
Official estimates paint a grim picture of declining productivity. During the 2025-26 agricultural year, red gram was cultivated on approximately 7.96 lakh acres across the state. However, production is estimated to have fallen sharply.
While last year's output was around 1.71 lakh tonnes, production this season is projected to drop to just 1.17 lakh tonnes. The average yield per hectare has also suffered a major blow, declining from 473 kg last year to 401 kg according to the first advance estimates.
"Yields came down because of unseasonable rains and dry spells. Input costs went up, but our income fell. At these prices, we cannot even recover our investments," explained Krishna Reddy, a farmer from Palnadu district. The crop is purely rainfed, grown once a year in dryland areas, making it highly susceptible to weather fluctuations.
A Broader Crop Crisis
The agricultural distress is not confined to red gram alone. Farmers growing maize are facing a parallel situation. The MSP for maize is Rs 2,400 per quintal, but cultivators in Andhra are reportedly selling their crop for between Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,900 per quintal.
Farmers note that even though procurement centres for maize were opened, the stocks are largely being purchased by buyers from neighbouring Telangana. The average maize yield per hectare has also dipped from 4,710 kg last season to 4,254 kg this season, with farmers reporting that actual field-level yields are likely lower due to weather-related stress.
The combination of delayed government action, adverse weather, and falling market prices has created a perfect storm, pushing red gram and maize farmers in Andhra Pradesh deeper into financial uncertainty and threatening the stability of agriculture in these rainfed zones.
