YSR Congress Party Agriculture wing demanded that the government declare the state as drought affected as the food grains production touched the lowest point after 2003.Addressing the press, M V S Nagireddy, president of state agriculture wing said cultivation in the state had come down from 43.86 lakh hectors in 2008-09 to 38.62 lakh hectors during 2016-17 across 13 districts.
He stated that in 2012 the Paddy per quintal was Rs 1,250 and the Minimum Support Price (MSP) was Rs 1,080, where farmer lost Rs 170 in input cost. This year, the farmer invested Rs 1,900 per acre and got Rs 1,470 as MSP with a loss of Rs 430. Nagireddy questioned the TDP government for not talking about MSP or implementing recommendations of Swaminathan Committee. He pointed out that Swaminathan had recommended Rs 2,850 as MSP as per today’s situation.