Tirupati MP, Maddila Gurumurthy, has urged the central government to support mango farmers in Andhra Pradesh, especially in the Chittoor and Tirupati districts facing distress due to falling prices and lack of market support.In a representation to agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, he said Andhra Pradesh has the largest area under mango cultivation spread over 12.35 lakh acres, accounting for 16.5 per cent of India’s total. It ranked second in production due to issues related to productivity and market access.He said farmers growing the Tothapuri variety were being forced to sell their produce at just `1 to `4 per kg, far below the MSP of `12 per kg. This has made harvesting unviable for many, leading to uncollected crops and significant losses.Gurumurthy also highlighted the closure of 28 out of 52 mango processing units in the region, resulting in job losses and disruptions in the mango supply chain.He requested the Centre to immediately start procurement of Tothapuri mangoes at the MSP so as to stabilise the prices. He proposed the setting up of a national mango board in Tirupati to handle price support, marketing, exports and farmer welfare.The MP also suggested establishing a national mango research station in Chittoor under ICAR to work on yield improvement, climate-resilient farming, pest control and post-harvest management. These steps, he said, are in line with the government’s goals of increasing farmers’ income and promoting horticulture.
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