Siddaramaiah urges Andhra CM to withdraw ban on entry of Totapuri mangoes into Chittoor district

The Hindu

a day ago

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has requested N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh to withdraw the ban on entry of 'Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka into Chittoor district.
Mr. Siddaramaiah has written a letter to Mr. Naidu in this regard on June 11, stating his 'deep concern over an order reportedly issued by the District Collector of Chittoor on June 7, imposing a ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from other States into the district.'
'I understand that multidisciplinary enforcement teams comprising officials from the revenue, police, forest, and marketing departments have been deployed at the inter-State check-posts adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to implement this directive. However, 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,' he said.
'These farmers have long relied on the robust linkages with Chittoor-based processing and pulp extraction units for marketing their produce. The current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain 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,' he further stated .