Support mango farmers, minister tells pulp industries
Mango farmers and processing industries must work together, and support prices due to farmers should be paid on time without delay, said State Transport Minister and Chittoor district in-charge Mandali Ramprasad Reddy.
He was speaking at a review meeting with mango pulp industry owners held on Monday at the Collectorate’s Nagarjuna IAS video conference hall, presided over by District Collector Sumit Kumar.
The minister said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is taking special interest in solving the problems of mango farmers.
The state government announced a support price of ₹4 per kg of mango and has credited ₹183 crore as subsidy directly into the bank accounts of farmers who cultivated mango in Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts.
Out of this, farmers in Chittoor district alone received ₹146.84 crore, benefiting 31,929 farmers, he said.
He recalled that in previous seasons, a bumper crop led to a drop in demand and farmers could not get a fair price. To ensure they did not incur losses, the government fixed a support price of ₹4 per kg and directed processing units to pay ₹8 per kg to farmers, he added.
Ramprasad Reddy urged pulp factories to remember that their business depends on farmers’ produce. “Processing units should keep farmers’ welfare in mind and pay them fair and generous prices,” he advised.
He assured that the government is ready to encourage industries by providing incentives, addressing issues like power tariffs, and improving basic infrastructure for mango pulp units in the district.
Chittoor MP Daggubati Prasada Rao said mango pulp units depend on farmers for raw material, just as farmers depend on the units to buy their produce.
He noted that while the government has done its part by granting the ₹4 subsidy, some pulp industries are delaying payment of the support price to farmers.
He expressed concern over this and asked industry owners to submit a clear proposal to the District Collector as early as possible, specifying:
• the price they will pay farmers, and
• the exact dates by which payments will be made.
Collector Sumit Kumar said that, as per government instructions, about 2.40 lakh metric tonnes of mangoes were procured from farmers in June and July and supplied to pulp industries.
However, he pointed out that some units in Chittoor district are paying less than what farmers are getting in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, which is a matter of concern.
Responding to this, representatives of the pulp industries said they were facing difficulties because import duties in European countries have increased, affecting their exports and profits.