The assertion by former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on his X (Twitter) account that one kilogram of bananas is being sold for merely ₹0.50 is entirely baseless and far from the truth. As soon as the season began in October, bananas fetched prices ranging from ₹12,000 to ₹14,000 per tonne.
In the first week of November, A-grade bananas sold for ₹7,000 per tonne, B-grade for ₹4,000, and C-grade for ₹3,000. These same rates remained stable in the second week. In the third week, A-grade rose to ₹8,000, B-grade to ₹4,000, and C-grade to ₹3,000 per tonne. By the fourth week, A-grade increased to ₹8,000-₹10,000, B-grade to ₹6,000-₹8,000, and C-grade to ₹4,000-₹6,000 per tonne.
Banana cultivation spans 34,000 hectares across Anantapur, Satya Sai, Kadapa, and Nandyal districts. Heavy rainfall in September and October damaged much of the crop. From Kadapa and Anantapur districts, 700 metric tonnes of bananas were transported to North India for sale. In recent weeks, prices have risen by ₹2,000 to ₹4,000 per metric tonne.
The government has also requested Indian Railways to provide freight subsidies for banana transport. Prices are expected to rise further from the second week of December. Given these facts, it is unwarranted to make statements that demoralise farmers. We urge farmer brothers to understand the reality and not be swayed by such propaganda.
