Ongole: The leaders of Samyukt Kisan Morcha, other farmers’ organisations, and farmers demanded a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 10,000 per quintal for Bengal gram (chickpea) with government procurement, or a bonus of Rs 3,000 per quintal, at the protest organised at Collectorate on Monday.

Farmers from Maddipadu, Naguluppalapaadu, Ongole, Tanguturu, and Kondapi mandals participated in the demonstration. The farmers’ leaders highlighted that production costs exceed Rs 7,000 per quintal, while 91,000 tonnes of harvested crops remain unsold in cold storage for two years due to inadequate prices. They observed that purchases from the government were minimal, despite prices briefly reaching Rs 10,000 last year.

Farmers’ leaders Jujjuri Jayanti Babu, Vadde Hanuma Reddy, Chunchu Seshaiah, Paritala Koteswara Rao, and others condemned the government’s export-import policies as corporate-friendly, noting the coalition government has failed to provide MSP for any crop since taking power. Later, the leaders submitted a representation to the district collector, P Raja Babu, explaining the plight of the farmers.