Jagan spreading falsehood on farmers’ welfare, says Andhra Pradesh Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar

Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar on Thursday criticised YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for “spreading falsehood” regarding farmers’ welfare.

Addressing the media, Mr. Manohar asserted that the YSRCP government had misled farmers, while the NDA dispensation, under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, was ensuring transparency, support, and timely interventions.

During Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s five-year term, a 75-kg bag of paddy had fetched between ₹1,416 and ₹1,650, whereas the coalition government raised the minimum support price (MSP) to ₹1,792, ensuring better returns, Mr. Manohar said.

He alleged that the YSRCP government had encouraged middlemen, caused unnecessary delays, and implemented a random paddy delivery system that forced farmers to sell the produce at a lower rate and suffer losses.

Kharif procurement

Mr. Manohar noted that during the current kharif season, the NDA government procured 14 lakh MT of paddy from nearly six lakh farmers, surpassing the quantum procured under the previous YSRCP administration. Payments were made promptly, with over ₹3,350 crore credited to the farmers’ bank accounts within hours, unlike delays of up to nine months under the YSRCP term, the Minister added.

He also highlighted the proactive disaster relief measures, including distribution of tarpaulins free of cost to protect crops during floods and storms, and the Deepam scheme, under which three free LPG cylinders were disbursed in three phases to 2.85 crore beneficiaries.

Urging citizens to recognise facts over propaganda, Mr. Manohar said that political narratives should not override real farmer needs. He exhorted the people to judge governance by outcomes rather than rhetoric, and cautioned them against being misled by the YSRCP leaders.