Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has given immense relief to mango growers in Karnataka who have been agitated over continually declining prices. In a significant development, the Central and Karnataka governments have decided to compensate mango growers jointly by paying a differential price, satisfying a longstanding demand of distressed farmers who suffered monetary losses because of an unexpected market crash.
The choice was made after a video conference on June 21 between Karnataka Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvaraya Swamy and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Union Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi was also present at the meeting.
Under this initiative, both the Centre and the state will share the cost equally to cover the price deficit on up to 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes. Farmers will receive Rs 4 per kilogram as compensation, Rs 2 each from the Centre and the state to bridge the gap between the prevailing market price and the estimated cost of cultivation.
This move comes in response to a proposal submitted earlier by the Karnataka government, which flagged the steep decline in prices of tomatoes and mangoes, especially the Totapuri variety. However, during June 21’s meeting, state officials clarified that tomato prices have now stabilised and no longer require intervention.
The relief program will be administered by the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd, which will be the nodal buying agency. A formal order detailing the modalities of implementation, including procurement arrangements, pricing mechanisms, and payment terms, will be issued in the coming days.
Crisis based on market collapse
Karnataka, which is among the country’s major mango-producing states, is experiencing an estimated production of 10 lakh metric tonnes this season. But this fruitful output has yet to benefit farmers with improved incomes. Modal prices at major production hubs like Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Ramanagara have plummeted. In some pockets such as Srinivaspur, Totapuri mangoes were available for sale at as low as Rs 450 to Rs 550 per quintal, a significant decline from the earlier market rate of Rs 12,000 per quintal.
As per the Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission (KAPC), the average production cost of mangoes is put at Rs 5,466 per quintal (C3 cost). Farmers were thus selling their products at prices well below the cost of production, forcing them into hardships and protests along the mango belt.
Andhra Pradesh ban
One of the primary reasons for the price crash was a recent restriction by Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district administration on the import of Karnataka-produced Totapuri mangoes. The restriction was defended by officials on the pretext that the Totapuri variety from Karnataka contained more water. This move interfered with the conventional supply chain, as Chittoor has several mango processing units that rely on Karnataka’s produce. Thousands of tons of mangoes destined for processing units in Andhra Pradesh were said to have been stuck at the border, as truckers were refused entry.
Farmers claimed they had long-term agreements with processors in Chittoor. The sudden rejection of shipments contributed to the surplus in Karnataka’s local mandis, further depressing prices.
Farmers’ sorrow and call for assistance
The effect of the price crash was strongly experienced by marginal and small farmers in the area. Protests broke out in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts in response. Farmers’ associations called for a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per quintal to offset their cost of production and guarantee profitability.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah noticed the crisis and made urgent representations to the Union government and the Andhra Pradesh government. In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Siddaramaiah urged the Union government to operate the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for the benefit of the mango farmers.
The Karnataka cabinet had previously approved a resolution urging the Centre to intervene with the mango farmers with instant assistance, who are the backbone of the horticulture economy in Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, and Ramanagara districts.
Government response and future plans
During June 21 meeting, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recognised farmers’ woes and consented to the mutual compensation plan. The Centre approved the procurement of 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes during the 2025 26 marketing season under the PDPS.
The Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Board will be responsible for implementing the scheme. It will make sure that the procurement is fair, transparent, and on schedule.
According to officials, the Rs 4 per kilogram disparity will be determined by market rates, and the compensation amount will be directly credited to farmers in their bank accounts after procurement is over.
Though the existing scheme supports a quarter of Karnataka’s mango production, farmer unions have pressed for increasing the quantum of procurement if prices fail to rise in the next few weeks. Permanent MSPs for perishable horticulture crops are also demanded increasingly, to minimise the sector’s exposure to market fluctuations.
Modi Govt’s consistent approach to farmer welfare
The recent measure to support Karnataka’s mango growers is not singular but a part of a concerted, long-term policy initiative by the Union government to protect farmers against uncertain market trends. Only a few days ahead of the mango price support, the Government of India had approved large-scale procurement under the Price Support Scheme (PSS) for the 2025–26 summer crops season, signalling continued support for agricultural well-being and self-reliance in pulse cultivation.
The Centre on June 12 approved buying 54,166 metric tonnes of Moong from Haryana farmers, Uttar Pradesh farmers, and Gujarat farmers, and 50,750 metric tonnes of Groundnut from Uttar Pradesh. Red gram (Tur) procurement in Andhra Pradesh was also extended by 15 days for the Kharif 2024–25 season under instructions from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
These decisions are a part of the government’s strategic initiative to make sure that Minimum Support Prices (MSP) are implemented effectively in key crops. The PSS is especially formulated to save farmers from distress sales if market prices drop below MSP, a situation that was recreated for mango farmers recently in Karnataka.
The support of the government is not only for pulses. It has raised procurement to 100 percent of the total production of Arhar, Urad, and Masur in specific states for the 2024–25 crop year. All these proactive actions are implemented through central nodal agencies such as NAFED and NCCF, which coordinate closely with state governments and farmer cooperatives.
Common to all these initiatives, including the Karnataka mango relief, is the fact that they are built on the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM AASHA). The umbrella scheme, introduced in 2018, combines the Price Support Scheme (PSS), Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), and Market Intervention Scheme (MIS). The PSS offers direct government procurement, while the PDPS, employed in Karnataka’s mango instance, provides remuneration to farmers for price gaps when direct procurement is not practical. MIS is triggered for perishables and horticultural crops, where intervention is done at once to stabilise the markets.
These concerted efforts demonstrate a palpable and progressive agricultural policy agenda. They are intended not merely to stem short-term market shocks but also to promote crop diversification, improve soil health, decrease dependence on imports, and provide nutritional and income security to India’s farmers. The application of Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) and digital tracking has also made the schemes more transparent and convenient for small and marginal farmers.
Here, the relief package of mango prices to Karnataka farmers looks not only like a crisis measure but as an organic fallout from the government’s systematic approach towards farmer protection. It marks a larger trend towards a price-guaranteed and market-responsive agricultural economy in which both the staple and high-value horticultural crops farmers are insulated from unforeseen market fluctuations.
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