Amaravati, July 23 (PTI) Mango farmers in Andhra Pradesh are reeling under severe financial distress due to crashing prices linked to variety of reasons and limited procurement of the Totapuri variety, a prominent cash crop in Rayalaseema district.

They now suggest the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the custodian of the Lord Venkateswara Temple, could come to their rescue by procuring the fruits.

Despite a bumper crop in financial year 2024-25, farmers in Chittoor, Tirupati, and Annamayya districts are struggling as pulp industries allegedly refuse to buy sufficient quantities, citing reduced market demand and export challenges.

"Farmers don't want political entanglements, but genuine solutions to protect livelihoods and ensure fair prices," said M Bhanu Prakash, a mango farmer from Tirupati.

He noted that the promised Rs 4 per kg support price from the TDP-led government has been delayed, worsening hardships with rising transportation and labour costs.

"This year's production reached nearly 1.5 lakh tonne, compared to last year's 90,000 tonne, leading to oversupply problems and reduced market demand," Prakash told PTI.

Prakash demanded a Mango Board, questioning why no organised structure supports mango farmers despite the scale and significance of production in Andhra Pradesh.

Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandra Shekhar Pemmasani said that the Centre reimbursed Rs 130 crore under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) recognising Andhra Pradesh’s proactive efforts to protect mango farmers during the severe market crisis.

"A total of Rs 260 crore was released at the rate of Rs 4 per kg by the state government and Rs 130 crore has been reimbursed from the Centre under the MIS," said Pemmasani in a post on X on Tuesday.

SV Subbarao, another mango farmer from Chittoor, said he had to sell 20 of the 50 acres of ancestral land due to failed procurement and mounting debts from last year's crop cycle.

"Unprocured mangoes were dumped because of lack of buyers, leading to irrecoverable losses despite high investment and labour," said Subbarao.

Farmers alleged discrimination compared to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where governments guaranteed up to Rs 18 and Rs 5 per kg respectively, while "Andhra’s support price remained low".

"We suffer despite producing superior quality mangoes," said Y Suribabu Ramesh, another farmer, noting that high transport costs further diminished profits.

Ramesh argued that farmers never dump produce unnecessarily and recent dumping incidents reflected desperation and systemic neglect.

Joint Director of the Horticulture Department's Fruits Division, MG Deva Muni Reddy said Andhra Pradesh grows several mango varieties but the Totapuri variety faced a severe demand crash in the pulp industry this season.

"Domestic pulp usage declined after the Centre imposed 28 percent GST on Ready to Serve (RTS) drinks with over 10 percent pulp content, discouraging higher pulp concentration," said Muni Reddy.

Exports, which accounted for 40 percent of processed pulp, have been severely hit due to surging freight charges and Suez Canal disruptions, with nearly 70 percent decline, he stated.

"The processed pulp market weakened further due to shipping route instability amid conflicts in the Middle East," he added.

Deputy Director of Horticulture Madhu Sudhan Reddy stated pulp units face bottlenecks with around 80,000 tonne of unsold stock, including two-year-old inventory, leaving processors cash-strapped.

"Farmers are forced to sell within two to three days post-harvest. Pulp units reject overripened fruit, causing significant post-harvest losses," said Madhu Sudhan Reddy.

He cited high transport costs, long factory queues, and perishability of mangoes as key reasons behind roadside dumping incidents in Chittoor district.

A local pulp factory Commercial Manager Y Basheeruddin said farmers rushed to factories fearing policy changes, resulting in unmanageable queues and rejection of overripened fruit.

Farmers further alleged that corporate beverage companies have slashed orders, citing high input costs and fixed retail prices, worsening demand for pulp.

Small farmers, lacking cold storage, often sold mangoes at distress prices or left them to rot due to high transportation costs and limited market access.

In response to this crisis, Andhra Pradesh government issued an order on July 17 to procure 6.5 lakh tonnes of Totapuri mangoes at Rs 4 per kg.

Rs 260 crore was sanctioned to prevent distress sales and stabilise prices, primarily targeting mango farmers in the undivided Chittoor region.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has assured farmers of immediate procurement and urging pulp industries to purchase at a minimum price of Rs 8 per kg and additional Rs 4 is promised by the TDP-led NDA government making it a total price of Rs 12 per kg.

The state government has also sought a 6-month interest exemption on loans from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to reduce financial stress.

Former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has alleged insensitivity from the current government towards mango farmers.

Farmers suggested that state temples, particularly the TTD, could help by procuring mangoes for temple kitchens.

"TTD earns crores of rupees daily and feeds thousands of devotees. They can easily buy mangoes directly from farmers," said Prakash.

With 6.5 lakh tonne produced this season and falling demand, farmers fear mounting debts and called for lasting solutions to end their recurring crisis. PTI MS STH GDK SA