Tribal Farmers Intensify Stir for MSP for Cashew Crop
Farm leaders said cashew cultivators were struggling due to the absence of a remunerative price, unlike growers of paddy, sugarcane and cotton who benefit from declared MSPs.
Visakhapatnam: Tribal farmers in Anakapalle district have intensified protests demanding a minimum support price (MSP) of ₹200 per kg for cashew nuts and assured government procurement through farmers’ service centres.
The agitation, centred in Ajaypuram village of Ravikamatam mandal and extended to Cheemalapadu panchayat, has drawn participation from farmers, tribal bodies and agricultural workers’ unions. The Andhra Pradesh Adivasi Girijana Sangham Fifth Schedule Sadhana Committee and the Vyvasaya Karmika Sangham organised a dharna in support of the demand.
Farm leaders said cashew cultivators were struggling due to the absence of a remunerative price, unlike growers of paddy, sugarcane and cotton who benefit from declared MSPs. They urged the government to establish a state cashew corporation, restore subsidies for crop expansion, provide free cultivation equipment, set up research centres for high-quality planting material, extend crop loans and weather insurance, guarantee employment in orchards, and establish processing units in producing regions.
Farmers alleged that traders exploit market fluctuations during the harvest season, forcing them to sell at low prices. They said Anakapalle district accounts for nearly 90,000 acres under cashew cultivation, producing about 25,000 metric tonnes annually, and that the crop is a primary source of livelihood in tribal and coastal hilly areas with limited irrigation.
In a parallel protest, tribals and Dalits in the Urlowa revenue area sought registration of 350 acres of cashew orchards for which pattas were promised earlier. As the land remains unrecorded in revenue documents, around 350 families lack formal ownership. Despite directions to form a special committee following representations to the Commissioner of Lands, implementation is pending. Farmers also demanded extension of welfare schemes such as Rythu Bharosa to cashew cultivators.
