Siddaramaiah urges Andhra CM Naidu to lift ban on entry of Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka

Farmers in Srinivasapura, a major mango growing belt in Kolar district, bordering Andhra Pradesh, held protests and observed a taluk-level bandh on Wednesday, demanding a support price for mangoes and withdrawal of ban imposed by the neighbouring state.

Hyderabad: Despite Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's appeal to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to lift the ban on transporting Totapuri mangoes from other states to Andhra Pradesh, the state government appears to have decided to remain firm, as the ban serves the interests of local farmers.

The Andhra Pradesh government has observed that Karnataka farmers selling their mangoes for just Rs 5 per kilogram to processing plants in Chittoor is undermining the prospects of Andhra farmers.

Sources within the Andhra Pradesh government told DH that intervention in the form of a ban on mangoes from Karnataka was warranted, as without it, the situation would have led to unrest among Andhra farmers and created a law and order problem.

On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah wrote to Naidu expressing his deep concern over an order reportedly issued by the District Collector of Chittoor on June 7, which imposed a ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from other states into the district.

Multidisciplinary enforcement teams comprising officials from the Revenue, Police, Forest, and Marketing Departments have been deployed at inter-state checkposts adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to implement this directive. Siddaramaiah argued that such actions, taken without prior consultation or coordination, run contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism.

He warned that this approach may lead to avoidable tensions and retaliatory measures, noting that stakeholders are already expressing discontent that could potentially disrupt the inter-state movement of vegetables and other agricultural commodities.

Mango growers in Karnataka's bordering areas and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh who cultivate Totapuri mangoes in substantial quantities have long relied on the robust linkages with Chittoor-based processing and pulp extraction units for marketing their produce.

Every year as a convention, the Andhra Pradesh government announces the price of Totapuri mangoes at which the processors would purchase mangoes. This year, the government announced a price of Rs 8 per kilo.

This is the price at which the processor purchases from the farmer to make into pulp. Keeping in mind low prices and higher supplies, the Andhra Pradesh government agreed to supplement the price by Rs 4 per kilo. Thus the farmer realisation would be reasonable which would be Rs 12 per kilo.

“Procurement is planned for 5.5 lakh tonnes this year. Government would be spending Rs 220 crore on such price augmentation. Karnataka price is quite low - around Rs 5 per kilo. If the Andhra Pradesh government allows Karnataka mangoes to come in, processors would prefer to buy from Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh farmers would suffer. This would become a major crisis for mango farmers. It will become a major law and order issue. Karnataka government hasn't announced any price for their farmers and should do so to ensure minimum viability for their farmers,” a top source in Andhra Pradesh government told DH on Thursday.

Siddaramaiah in his letter to Naidu said that the current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain of Karnataka farmers and threatens significant post-harvest losses, directly impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.

“Moreover, actions of this nature, taken without prior consultation or coordination, run contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism. I am also concerned that this may lead to avoidable tension and retaliatory measures, with stakeholders already expressing discontent that could potentially disrupt the inter-State movement of vegetables and other agricultural commodities. I urge your kind intervention in this matter and request that necessary directions be issued to the authorities in Chittoor District for the immediate revocation of the said order. I trust that you will treat this issue with the seriousness it warrants, and take swift steps to restore the seamless movement of agricultural produce in the interest of farmer welfare. I shall be grateful for the same,” said Siddaramaiah in the letter.