Amaravati, April 27 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday urged the Centre to take immediate steps to procure maize and extend support to farmers facing price distress.
In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Naidu requested intervention to procure maize produced during the 2025-26 Rabi season and extend benefits under the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme.
“I request the union government to kindly support maize farmers by ensuring procurement and compensating them for the price gap under the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) scheme,” Naidu said in a press release.
The CM said maize farmers in Andhra Pradesh are under severe distress as market prices have been falling steadily, with current prices ranging between Rs 1,600 and Rs 1,700 per quintal, significantly below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 2,400 per quintal.
He said the state is expected to produce around 42 lakh tonnes of maize this season, while another 14.2 lakh tonnes is still under harvest.
Naidu urged the Centre to extend direct compensation to farmers for the price gap under the PM-AASHA scheme and requested that Andhra Pradesh be treated as a special case.
He further sought that the Central Government bear 100 per cent of the funds required for price deficiency payments and also appealed for the extension of the scheme till June 2026.
The CM also requested immediate approval for the implementation of the scheme in coordination with the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and the Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd (AP Markfed), to ensure timely relief to maize farmers. PTI MS SSK
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