New Delhi, July 22: For thousands of Totapuri mango growers in Karnataka who watched prices crash this season, there may finally be some hope. The Central Government has announced a series of measures aimed at increasing demand for Totapuri mangoes, ensuring fairer prices for farmers and strengthening the fruit's market across the country and abroad.
The decisions were taken after Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed a report submitted by a high-level expert committee that studied the problems faced by Totapuri growers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
One of the committee's biggest recommendations is to make 22-25% real mango pulp mandatory in mango-based beverages. If implemented, the move could significantly increase the demand for Totapuri mangoes, benefiting farmers while giving consumers beverages with more real fruit content.
The Centre will now hold discussions with the FSSAI, GST Council, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Ministry of Health to examine the proposal and decide the next course of action.
Why Did Totapuri Prices Collapse?
The expert committee found that several factors combined to hurt farmers this season. Delayed procurement by processing factories, a sudden influx of mangoes into markets, lower use of natural mango pulp in beverages and fluctuations in export demand all contributed to the sharp fall in prices.
As factories could not purchase fruit on time, many farmers were forced to sell their produce at lower prices, leading to significant income losses.
Measures Planned to Protect Farmers
To avoid such situations in future, the Centre has proposed setting up a Central Coordination and Price Stabilisation Committee. The committee would review crop estimates, processing capacity, export demand and market conditions before every mango season and recommend indicative procurement prices to protect farmers from sudden market crashes.
The government also plans to rejuvenate ageing Totapuri orchards through top-working technology, allowing existing trees to be grafted with premium mango varieties such as Alphonso, Banganapalli, Neelam and Himayat. This could help farmers harvest higher-value fruits within two to three years.
More Ways for Farmers to Earn
Apart from selling fresh mangoes, the Centre wants Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to establish processing units that can manufacture value-added products such as mango butter from mango seed kernels, creating an additional source of income.
The committee has also suggested providing fruit protection bags to improve fruit quality, reduce pest damage and help growers access premium markets.
Meanwhile, APEDA, along with ICAR and state governments, will work to expand exports of Totapuri mangoes and processed products through more cost-effective sea routes.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Centre is committed to making the entire Totapuri mango value chain more farmer-centric and assured that the committee's recommendations would be converted into concrete policy measures.
If implemented, the proposed reforms could provide long-term support to thousands of Totapuri mango growers in Karnataka while strengthening India's position in the global mango market.
Keywords
Karnataka Totapuri mango farmers, Totapuri mango price, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Mango pulp rule, Karnataka agriculture news, Totapuri mango relief, Citizen News Puttur