Banana farmers in Andhra Pradesh's Rayalaseema region are facing an unprecedented crisis, with market prices collapsing by a staggering 60 percent, pushing thousands of small and marginal cultivators to the brink of ruin. The alarming situation has prompted urgent calls for intervention from the Union government to provide immediate relief and prevent a full-scale agrarian disaster.
Parliamentary Plea for Immediate Intervention
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, YSRCP member Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose urgently appealed to the Union Agriculture Ministry to step in and rescue the distressed farmers. He highlighted that market failures are systematically destroying the livelihoods of thousands who depend on banana cultivation. Bose stressed that the central government must take swift and decisive steps to shield these farmers from financial devastation.
He detailed the shocking price crash, particularly in Pulivendula, one of the region's largest banana-producing zones. Here, the price per tonne fell sharply from Rs 22,000 to a mere Rs 8,000 within just one month. This drastic drop has rendered farming completely unremunerative, forcing many to take the heart-wrenching step of discarding their ripe produce as they found no buyers in the market.
A Perfect Storm of Natural and Market Calamities
The crisis has been exacerbated by severe climatic conditions. Bose pointed to the severe drought and erratic rainfall during the 2025 Kharif season, which led to a catastrophic drop in cultivation. In key districts like YSR Kadapa, Kurnool, and Anantapur, cultivation plummeted to only 19 to 35 percent of normal levels. Farmers who invested lakhs of rupees, expecting a stable return, have been left devastated by this double blow of nature and market volatility.
The plight of the farmers was further amplified by YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. After visiting the banana fields in Pulivendula, he directed the party's Rajya Sabha member to raise the issue in Parliament. Jagan also took to social media platform X to vividly illustrate the crisis, stating that bananas are being sold for as low as fifty paise per kilogram.
Political Accusations and Contrasting Policies
In his social media post, Jagan Mohan Reddy drew a sharp contrast between the policies of his previous government and the current administration. He claimed that during the YSRCP regime, the banana price was maintained at an average of Rs 25,000 per tonne, and special trains were arranged to transport produce to markets like Delhi to prevent losses. He also highlighted the construction of cold storages across the state to protect farmers from distress sales.
"However, the present govt led by Naidu has abandoned farmers to their fate, watching silently as agriculture crumbles," Jagan alleged. He expanded his criticism beyond bananas, asserting that no crop, from onions to tomatoes, is fetching remunerative prices for farmers today. He labeled promises of free crop insurance, input subsidies during calamities, and cultivation support as a "farce."
The situation presents a critical challenge for both the state and central governments, with immediate action needed to prevent long-term damage to the agricultural backbone of Rayalaseema and to secure the future of its farming community.
