The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) has demanded that the State government permit horticulture farmers to transport their produce to the market.
PCC president S. Sailajanath, in a statement here on Friday, said that farmers were badly hit by the lockdown. There was no manpower to harvest the rabi crop and none to buy the kharif crop.
Horticulture farmers were the worst hit because their produce was perishable with very short shelf life.
The PCC chief said the best course for the government would be to purchase fruits and vegetables at the garden itself, otherwise it should permit farmers to use their own transport.
The government should purchase the produce from heavily indebted farmers providing them relief, he said.
The untimely rain had dampened even the produce in warehouses and all this would be damaged if the government did not act swiftly, the PCC chief said.
