Andhra to sell super-fine rice at ₹50 a kg, onions at ₹35, and pay MSP to move farmers off paddy

Andhra Pradesh plans to sell super-fine rice and onions at subsidized prices at Rythu Bazars, according to Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu. The government aims to shift 8.81 lakh hectares of farming to alternative crops such as pulses, maize, and oilseeds during the rabi season. This includes the KNM and BPT varieties of rice.

Chakki wheat flour, palm oil, and red gram will be supplied at subsidized prices, with Andhra Pradesh seeking support from the Centre for inclusion in the Public Distribution System (PDS). The crop diversification plan targets shifting three lakh hectares from paddy cultivation, four lakh hectares left fallow during kharif, and 1.5 lakh hectares from reduced chili cultivation to other crops.

These crops include chickpea, maize, black gram, sunflower, green gram, groundnut, rabi sorghum, red gram, onions, and vegetables under drip irrigation. Prakasam district will be allocated the largest area, followed by YSR Kadapa, Palnadu, and Nellore. The government plans to procure 100% of ragi, red gram, and black gram at MSP, along with 30% of green gram, chickpea, groundnut, and sunflower production.

Onion procurement will be done through the state's price stabilisation fund, as there is no MSP for onions. The total requirement to support procurement operations is estimated at ₹2,216.48 crore, with ₹1,979 crore for agricultural produce guarantees and ₹237.48 crore for procurement operations. The government will begin kharif paddy procurement on November 1, with a target of 37 lakh tonnes, and plans to establish 2,619 procurement centres and deploy 24,000 personnel.