Karnataka, Centre to jointly compensate mango farmers, procure 2.5 lakh metric tonne from them

New Delhi: The Centre and Karnataka government on Saturday jointly agreed to procure 2.5 lakh tonne mango grown in the state and bear the cost equally.

In a virtual meeting between Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh and State Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy, both the ministers have agreed to procure 2.5 lakh metric tonne of mango from farmers under Centre's Price Deficiency Payment and Market Intervention Scheme.

In the meeting, it was decided that Rs 4 per kg price differences will be provided to farmers ( Rs 2 each by the Centre and State) while procuring products, said the statement.

Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd will act as an nofal agency to procure mangoes, said the statement.

Karnataka’s estimated total mango production of 10 lakh metric tonnes this year, the Ministry said.

Earlier, Karnataka submitted a memorandum to the Centre requesting come to rescue of farmers after prices for tomatoes and mangoes — particularly the Totapuri variety — had been falling steadily.

In the meeting, the state agriculture minister said that tomatoes prices have now stabilised and relief required only for mango farmers.

Highlighting that mango prices have plummeted from Rs 12,000 per quintal to Rs 3,000, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier requested the Centre to start a Price Deficiency Payment and Market Intervention scheme, and initiate immediate procurement to help farmers and stop further distress in rural areas.

“Mango is one of the major horticultural crops in Karnataka, cultivated over an area of 1.39 lakh hectares, particularly in Bengaluru Rural, Urban, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Bengaluru South (Ramanagara) districts, with an estimated production of 8-10 lakh tonnes during the Rabi season,” he said in his letter to Chouhan.

The Chief Minister further wrote, “During the peak harvest season of May to July, heavy market arrivals have led to unsustainable price fluctuations. Market prices, which earlier hovered around Rs 12,000 per quintal, have plummeted to as low as Rs 3,000 per quintal, while the Karnataka State Agriculture Price Commission has calculated the cost of cultivation as Rs 5,466 per quintal. This sharp mismatch between production cost and market realisation has placed the farming community under acute financial stress.”