With exports halting due to Gulf war, banana farmers in Andhra Pradesh look to govt. support

The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham has appealed to Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu to urgently intervene and support the banana farmers, who are incurring severe losses due to a sharp fall in prices following disruption in exports to the war-torn Gulf countries.

In a representation submitted on Tuesday, the farmers’ association said the ongoing conflict between Iran and the U.S.-Israel combine had severely impacted shipping routes to the Gulf and West Asian nations. As a result, banana exports from Andhra Pradesh had come to a standstill, it said.

Farmers in districts such as Anantapur, Nandyal, Kadapa, Guntur, Bapatla, NTR, Eluru, East Godavari, and Vizianagaram had been cultivating banana extensively. Until about two weeks ago, banana prices ranged between ₹22,000 and ₹25,000 per tonne. However, with exports halted, prices crashed drastically to around ₹5,000 per tonne, leaving farmers in distress.

The association highlighted that due to lack of buyers, ripe bananas were rotting in plantations, causing heavy financial losses to the farmers. It urged the State government to procure bananas at a minimum support price of ₹15,000 per tonne through agencies such as MARKFED and other procurement bodies.

The farmers’ body also suggested that the procured bananas could be distributed to government-run hostels, anganwadi centres, schools, colleges, universities, and hospitals. This, they said, would not only provide relief to the farmers but also improve nutritional intake among students, children, and patients.

In case procurement was not feasible, the association sought payment of compensation of ₹1 lakh per acre for the affected banana farmers. The representation was submitted via email to the Minister.