RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Minister for Agriculture K Atchannaidu has said cocoa will be purchased from farmers at Rs 500 per kg in Godavari region. “Traders and companies have been convinced to purchase cocoa produce from the farmers at `450 per kg, and the government will pay
`50. The traders and companies have been asked to purchase the entire cocoa produce from the farmers during the season,” he said.
Speaking to the media in Eluru on Friday, he said, “The State government is planning to enact a law to fix supportive price for cocoa to better safeguard the interests of farmers.”
Reiterating the TDP-led NDA government’s commitment to the welfare of farmers, he said it will take all necessary measures to ensure support price to ryots for their agricultural produce, and ensure that they don’t suffer losses.
The cocoa farmers have withdrawn their agitation following an assurance that their produce will be procured at a support price of Rs 500 per kg. “We are committed to ensure that the cocoa grown in the Godavari region is procured by the companies at the support price,” he said.
The NDA government has set up a stabilisation fund with a corpus of `140 crore, and `80 crore has already been spent to protect the farmers from the price slump.
Besides resolving the issues of cocoa farmers following the intervention of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, plans are afoot to provide training to them in modern methods of cultivation. Quality inputs will also be supplied to enable the farmers reap a good crop yield, the Agriculture Minister said.