Sweet orange farmers demand government intervention over ‘poor quality saplings’ 

Sweet orange farmers in Andhra Pradesh seek compensation for poor quality saplings from Dr Y.S.R.H.U, urging government intervention.

Stating that they had suffered significant financial losses due to poor quality saplings purchased from nurseries maintained by Dr Y.S.R. Horticultural University (Dr Y.S.R.H.U), Andhra Pradesh, sweet orange/sweet lime farmers are urging the Telangana government to intervene and help them obtain compensation from the university. According to the farmers, they have collectively incurred losses amounting to ₹28 lakh over the past decade.

The farmers are calling for the formation of a committee comprising experts from the Central Citrus Research Institute in Nagpur and Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University to conduct a thorough investigation into the quality of sweet lime/sweet orange plants supplied between 2014 and 2024.

A farmer from Tippalammagudem village of Thipparthy mandal, Gurram Srinivas Reddy, stated that he had raised his orchard by purchasing 700 saplings (Sathgudi variety) from Dr. YSRHU’s Horticultural Research Station at Mahanandi in Nandyal district at ₹40 per sapling in December 2014.

“In addition to the sapling cost, I incurred ₹20 for transportation. The yield has been meagre despite purchasing saplings from the university’s nursery. While local varieties yield 25 to 30 tonnes, their yield has been only 4 to 5 tonnes. Other farmers in the district who bought saplings from the same source are facing similar issues,” he said.

“The expected ripening period for these plants is five years, but even after six years the yield remains unsatisfactory. The fruits are small, fall prematurely and turn yellow which the farmers attribute to the poor quality of the plants,” he said.

On an average, a farmer spends about ₹70,000 per acre annually on cultivation. Due to the substandard quality of the plants, they have been unable to recover their investments, plunging them into financial difficulties.