Andhra Pradesh Cocoa Farmers Urge State Board Amid Price Crisis

Quick Summary

• The Andhra Pradesh Cocoa Farmers’ Association convened a State committee meeting in Eluru to discuss issues faced by cocoa growers, including the sharp drop in cocoa bean prices from ₹500 to ₹350 per kg by private companies.
• The association demanded the formation of a State Cocoa Board to protect farmers’ interests and regulate pricing.
• Retired IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao, honorary president of the association, announced plans for forming a Farmer Producer organisation (FPO) for cocoa farmers spanning over 10,000 acres in Andhra Pradesh with the support of NABARD. District-wise directors are being appointed as part of this initiative.
• A State-level awareness conference on forming the FPO will be held after August 25 at Vijayarai in Pedavegi mandal. Mr. Rao emphasized cocoa’s economic potential and urged farmers to become stakeholders in the FPO.
• State general secretary K. Srinivas criticized companies for arbitrarily lowering prices despite government-fixed rates and called on authorities to ban foreign imports of cocoa beans and ensure fair international pricing for domestic produce.
• The association plans petitions to District Collectors and Horticulture Department officials along with protests across districts.

Image: Former IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao addressing farmers during an event organized by the Andhra Pradesh Cocoa farmers’ association in Eluru.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The steep decline in cocoa bean prices presents significant financial challenges for Andhra Pradesh’s cocoa farming community, highlighting broader concerns about regulatory structures that impact agricultural commodities’ price stability. The demand for creating a State Cocoa Board mirrors efforts seen with other crops like coconut, aiming to provide institutional support through price control mechanisms and policy advocacy.

The proposed Farmer Producer Organisation is commendable as it encourages collective economic strength among growers while reducing reliance on middlemen or monopolistic corporate practices influencing market dynamics unfairly-a concern explicitly voiced by leadership figures such as Mr. Srinivas within this meeting scenario.

Moreover, banning foreign imports has surfaced repeatedly across various sectors after alleged “arbitrary tactics,” symbolizing regional emphasis vs international dependency tensions-yet its feasibility must balance downstream chocolate industries reliant upon predictable imported supply chains far beyond single-state mandates conclusively decides those stakes-demand claims!

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