VIJAYAWADA: The State government is taking steps to stabilise the prices of green chillies, red chillies, brinjal, tomato and other vegetables, while ensuring farmers receive a minimum support price, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand said on Saturday.
He reviewed the price situation with officials from the agriculture, marketing and civil supplies departments, and Markfed, directing them to monitor fluctuations and intervene as needed to benefit both farmers and consumers.
Vijayanand emphasised that farmers should get fair prices for their produce while vegetables remain affordable to consumers. He assured that the government will take all necessary steps to support farmers under any circumstances. Stressing better coordination among agriculture, horticulture, and related departments, he instructed officials to track real-time price variations and act swiftly to prevent market disruptions.
He pointed out that price instability often arises due to regional production disparities, with prices dropping in high-yield areas and soaring in regions with lower supply. To address this, he directed officials to ensure surplus produce is efficiently distributed, especially to farmers’ markets, to balance supply and stabilise prices.
Officials were also tasked with monitoring vegetable prices through real-time governance systems linked with Agriwatch. In cases where the minimum support price is not met, Vijayanand stressed the need for market intervention to stabilise rates while keeping consumer prices reasonable.
Additionally, he instructed Industries Secretary Yuvraj to collaborate with ITC and other companies to secure better prices for eucalyptus and subabul farmers. As these crops are primarily used in paper production, he urged negotiations with ITC Bhadrachalam and other paper mills to ensure fair price. Currently, subabul is priced at Rs 5,400 per tonne and eucalyptus at Rs 4,400 per tonne.
To reduce post-harvest losses, the government will install Sabji Coolers in all Rythu Bazaars across the State.
These modern, water-based coolers function even without electricity. Already tested in select markets, they help keep vegetables fresh, allowing unsold produce to be carried over to the next day instead of being wasted.
He instructed officials to install at least one cooler in each Rythu Bazaar, with additional units in larger markets.
Special Chief Secretary (Agriculture) B Rajasekhar said the marketing department has placed orders for 59 Sabji Coolers, with plans to install them in 112 Rythu Bazaars. More orders will follow to expand the initiative statewide, he added.