Siddaramaiah writes to Centre to aid mango farmers amid sharp price collapse
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote to Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivaraj Singh Chouhan to support mango farmers facing severe distress due to a sharp decline in market prices during the current harvest season.In a letter addressed to the Union Minister, Siddaramaiah drew attention to the financial crisis among mango growers across Karnataka, stating that the situation was becoming unsustainable and urged Chouhan to implement an urgent Price Deficiency Payment Scheme and Market Intervention Scheme. 'Mango is one of Karnataka's major horticultural crops, cultivated over an area of approximately 1.39 lakh hectares with estimated production of 8 to 10 lakh metric tonne this Rabi season, particularly in Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, and Bengaluru South districts,' he wrote.advertisementHe noted that prices which were earlier around Rs 12,000 per quintal have now dropped to as low as Rs 3,000 per quintal. This is significantly lower than the Karnataka State Agriculture Price Commission's recommended cost of cultivation, which stands at Rs 5,466 per quintal.
'This sharp mismatch between production costs and market realisations has placed the farming community under acute financial stress,' Siddaramaiah said. He warned that thousands of small and marginal mango growers were unable to recover their basic input costs, leading to protests and increasing anxiety within the farming community. Without immediate intervention, he cautioned, the situation could lead to serious socio-economic consequences.'In view of this grave situation, I earnestly request that immediate steps be taken to implement a Price Deficiency Payment Scheme under the Market Intervention Scheme for mangoes, as an urgent policy response,' the Chief Minister said.advertisementHe also appealed for central procurement agencies such as the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India to be directed to begin procurement operations immediately. The objective, he said, should be to ensure that farmers receive at least the minimum cost of cultivation as a safety net.Such an intervention, he added, would help stabilise market prices, prevent deepening rural distress, and protect the interests of mango farmers during this period of hardship. 'I look forward to your immediate and sympathetic consideration in the larger interest of lakhs of farmers in Karnataka,' he said.The appeal comes amid protests in Srinivasapura, a key mango-growing region in Kolar district, where farmers observed a taluk-level bandh on Wednesday. They demanded a support price for mangoes and the withdrawal of a ban imposed by neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.Siddaramaiah previously also wrote to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, requesting that the state withdraw its ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka into Chittoor district.
IN THIS STORY#Karnataka#Andhra Pradesh
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