Tirupati: Mango procurement in the undivided Chittoor district has plunged into uncertainty as pulp factories are refusing to pay the government-fixed support price, leaving farmers anxious and officials facing mounting pressure.
To support mango growers, the state government fixed a procurement price of ₹12 per kg for Totapuri mangoes (₹8 to be paid by pulp factories and ₹4 as a direct subsidy). Agriculture and marketing minister K. Atchannaidu, during his recent visit to Chittoor, directed factories to begin purchases at this rate.However, the situation on the ground quickly shifted. Most pulp factories have declined to pay ₹8, instead capping their rate at ₹6 per kg. Their primary concern is last year’s surplus pulp stock, which remains unsold in storage. “We are sitting on last year’s stock and there is no demand in the market. We can’t afford to pay ₹8 now when pulp prices are falling”, said a pulp factory manager.Adding to the crisis is a bumper mango crop this season. Horticulture officials estimate around 5.4 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes in southern Andhra Pradesh this year. Since June 9, over 40,000 tonnes have already reached markets, with daily arrivals of 5,000 tonnes in Chittoor and 2,000 tonnes in Tirupati.Further complicating matters is stiff competition from neighbouring states. Mangoes from Krishnagiri, Kolar, and Srinivasapuram are being sold at ₹4 per kg to factories. “We cannot pay ₹8 here while our competitors offer mangoes at nearly half the rate”, said another factory operator.Of the 39 pulp factories in the district, only 25 have responded to the procurement initiative, and just 15 are currently operating. The situation has left farmers in limbo. Many are struggling to decide whether to sell at ₹6 or wait in vain for the promised ₹12. In several orchards, ripened mangoes are being left to rot due to lack of remunerative prices.“Factories are openly violating the government’s price order. If they can’t follow it, they shouldn’t be allowed to operate”, said Janardhan, convenor of the Mango Farmers’ Welfare Association. The association has urged the district administration to act strictly and cancel licences of non-compliant units and ensure price display boards at procurement centres.
