VIJAYAWADA: Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu on Thursday said that farmers in Andhra Pradesh are benefiting significantly from the coalition government’s farmer-centric policies, with chilli and oil palm prices ruling at record and remunerative levels this year.
Recalling the sharp decline in chilli prices last year, the Minister said the government acted promptly by coordinating with the Centre and announcing a Market Intervention Price to stabilise the market. He said the situation has improved markedly this season due to crop diversification by farmers and timely, well-planned policy decisions taken by the coalition government. The government intervenes in the market only when required and avoids unnecessary steps that could create uncertainty, he added.
He said chilli cultivation is widespread in Palnadu, Kurnool, Prakasam, Anantapur, NTR, Nandyal, Guntur and Bapatla districts. During 2024-25, chilli was cultivated over 1.96 lakh hectares, while in the 2025-26 Kharif season, sowing has been taken up in about 2.67 lakh acres. Production is estimated at around 5.39 lakh metric tonnes.