The Andhra Pradesh Cocoa Farmers’ Association has urged the State government to make a clear statement during the ongoing Assembly session on the proposed Cocoa City and honour its commitment to establish the facility in Eluru district.

Association State president Bollu Ramakrishna and general secretary K. Srinivas also demanded immediate implementation of the pricing formula for cocoa beans announced by Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu and sought a comprehensive pricing policy to protect the growers from market fluctuations.

Speaking at a meeting on cocoa farmers’ problems on Wednesday, the association leaders said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had announced that the Cocoa City would be established on 500 acres in Eluru district. However, reports that the facility was now being considered in the undivided East Godavari region had caused concern among farmers, they said.

“More than half of Andhra Pradesh’s cocoa cultivation area is in Eluru district and setting up the Cocoa City there will benefit a large number of growers,” they said.

Despite the government projecting the project as a major initiative for cocoa farmers, there had been little progress on the ground, they said.

The leaders said farmers had suffered losses this cropping season despite producing quality beans because of poor prices. They alleged that buying companies were fixing prices arbitrarily in the absence of effective government intervention.

Recalling the Minister’s announcement at the Cocoa Conclave in Eluru in January, they said that six months had passed without the promised pricing formula. They urged the government to introduce it immediately and ensure remunerative returns through a transparent pricing mechanism.

Published - August 19, 2026 09:10 pm IST