Will Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's Plea to Union Minister Chouhan Help Mango Farmers?

Bengaluru, June 13 (NationPress) Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has made a fervent appeal to Union Minister for Agriculture, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking urgent implementation of the Price Deficiency Payment and Market Intervention Scheme for the state's mango farmers.

In a letter addressed to Chouhan, the CM highlighted the critical situation faced by mango farmers due to a drastic and unsustainable drop in market prices this harvest season.

“Mango is a vital horticultural crop in Karnataka, cultivated across nearly 1.39 lakh hectares, yielding an estimated 8 to 10 lakh metric tonnes this Rabi season, especially in districts like Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, and Bengaluru South,” CM Siddaramaiah stated.

He further explained, “During the peak harvest months of May to July, the influx of mangoes into the market has caused significant price volatility. Prices, which were around Rs 12,000 per quintal, have now plummeted to as low as Rs 3,000 per quintal, while the Karnataka State Agriculture Price Commission has assessed the cost of cultivation at Rs 5,466 per quintal.

“This drastic mismatch between production costs and market prices has put immense financial pressure on farmers,” he added.

CM Siddaramaiah pointed out that thousands of small and marginal mango growers are struggling to cover even their basic input costs, resulting in widespread protests and increasing agrarian distress. He warned that without prompt and effective intervention, this crisis could lead to severe socio-economic repercussions in the region.

“Given the dire circumstances, I earnestly request immediate action to implement a Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for mangoes as a critical policy response. Additionally, directives should be issued to designated procurement agencies, such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF), to initiate procurement operations at an appropriate intervention price to safeguard farmers' interests,” CM Siddaramaiah urged.

He emphasized that such timely measures would not only stabilize prices but also mitigate rural distress and ensure that the concerns of the farming community in Karnataka are adequately addressed during this challenging time.

Moreover, on Thursday, CM Siddaramaiah wrote to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu requesting the withdrawal of the ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka to Chittoor district. He also cautioned CM Naidu regarding potential retaliatory actions.

In the meantime, mango growers staged a protest in Srinivasapura, recognized as the 'mango capital of India', by tossing several quintals of mangoes onto the streets due to a sudden drop in prices and demanded the revocation of the ban imposed by Andhra Pradesh on Karnataka mangoes.