CHENNAI: CPI-backed Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association (TNFA) has urged the State government to urgently intervene and procure raw mangoes directly from farmers at Rs 20 per kg with subsidy support, in a manner similar to Andhra Pradesh, in order to protect growers from steep losses.
In a statement, the association’s State general secretary, BS Masilamani, said mango cultivators in the state are unable to secure a fair price this year, despite a significant increase in production following several years of poor yields.
Tamil Nadu is the sixth-largest mango-producing state in the country, with an average annual output of 3 lakh metric tonnes.
Due to excess production in southern States this season, traders from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, who would usually procure mangoes from Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri for pulp production, have refrained from purchasing.
As a result, the price has plummeted to below Rs 4 per kg. Farmers are dumping their produce on roads or leaving it to rot on trees as harvesting costs exceed Rs 3 per kg.
The Andhra Pradesh government has already implemented a procurement scheme offering ₹12 per kg to farmers, subsidised at Rs 4 per kg, and barred the entry of mangoes from other states to protect local growers.
Farmers from Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, Tirupattur, and Dharmapuri districts were reportedly turned away at the Andhra border.
The union has urged the state government to emulate this model, engage the agricultural marketing department in direct procurement, provide compensation to affected farmers, set up cold storage units in high-yield areas, and establish State-run mango pulp factories to ensure price stability and long-term farmer security.