Why Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka are fighting over mangoes

Indian Express

a day ago

By an order issued by the district collector of Chittoor on June 7, the Andhra Pradesh government has banned the entry of juicy Totapuri mangoes from other states into Chittoor district, a decision that has put it at loggerheads with neighbouring Karnataka.
Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, in a letter dated June 10, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a letter dated June 11, have asked their Andhra Pradesh counterparts — K Vijayanand and N Chandrababu Naidu, respectively — to roll back the order said to be causing significant distress to mango farmers in Karnataka.
A juicy mango
Totapuri, also known as Bangalore or Sandersha, is a mango cultivar grown in the bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
I have written to Andhra Pradesh CM Shri @ncbn requesting him to withdraw the ban on the entry of Totapuri Mangoes from Karnataka into Chittoor district.
This ban hurts thousands of farmers and traders. Cooperation between states is vital for the prosperity of our people. pic.twitter.com/qhlKeaN6Ck
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 12, 2025
Known for their elongated shape and distinct parrot beak-like tip (hence 'Totapuri'), the variety is valued for its juice and pulp. Totapuri mangoes are used aplenty in mango drinks manufactured and distributed across the country.
Food and beverage processors, including multinational companies, buy these mangoes directly from farmers. Notably, Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district is home to several mango processing and pulp extraction companies that procure Totapuri mangoes from local markets.
District officials, with the support of revenue, forest, marketing and police departments, have banned Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka entering Chittoor. The reason: the mangoes from Karnataka are cheaper than ones being grown in Andhra Pradesh.
'Every year, the Andhra government announces the price at which processors should purchase Totapuri mangoes,' an Andhra Pradesh government source told The Indian Express.
'This year the state government has announced the price at Rs 8 per kg. Keeping in mind the low price and high supplies the government has agreed to provide an additional Rs 4 per kg to the farmers,' the source said. In Karnataka, however, the price is just Rs 5 to Rs 6 per kg, the Andhra Pradesh government claims.
'If we allow [Karnataka] mangoes to reach the Andhra Pradesh market, the processors will prefer these mangoes over ones grown in the state, which are priced higher. This will plunge Andhra farmers into distress,' the AP government source said.
With 5.5 lakh tones expected to be procured, the government is set to spend around Rs 220 crore on these mangoes
An escalating standoff
'This abrupt and unilateral move has caused considerable hardship to mango growers in Karnataka, particularly those in the border regions who cultivate Totapuri mangoes in substantial quantities. These farmers have long relied on robust linkages with Chittoor-based processing and pulp extraction units for marketing their produce,' said Siddaramaiah, adding that the ban 'is contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism'.
He further said: 'The current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain and threatens significant post-harvest losses, directly impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers'.
Chief Secretary Rajneesh's letter echoed similar concerns. Notably, both letters said that Karnataka farmers may take retaliatory measures, including blocking of vegetable and other agricultural commodities' sales across the border from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka, which would 'escalate inter-state tensions,' Rajneesh wrote.
This standoff comes in the context of the two neighbouring states being ruled by parties sitting across the aisle in Parliament: while the Congress is in power in Karnataka, the Andhra Pradesh government is headed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
So far, the Andhra Pradesh government has not officially responded to the letters from Karnataka.