Overview

• Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said onion growers whose crops were devastated by recent heavy rains will receive ₹50,000 per hectare, covering about 45,000 acres.
• Naidu acknowledged the payout will strain state finances but framed the move as a welfare measure and pledged to stand by farmers on pricing and other concerns.
• The relief targets weather damage rather than guaranteeing a market price, leaving the debate over price support separate from compensation for losses.
• APCC president Y. S. Sharmila alleges farmers spend roughly ₹1.2 lakh per acre yet net around ₹3,000 per acre as farmgate prices dropped to ₹0.5 per kg, resulting in steep losses.
• Sharmila claims the MSP promise of ₹1,200 per quintal through Markfed has not been implemented, says farmers are abandoning produce, and calls for curbing middlemen’s influence in Kurnool markets.