VIJAYAWADA: The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has formally sanctioned the Price Deficiency Payment (PDP) framework under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for Totapuri mango growers in Andhra Pradesh.
The development follows intense political sparring between the ruling NDA coalition and the opposition YSRCP over collapsing market prices of mangoes in the Rayalaseema fruit belt.
The official sanction letter, dated July 1, 2026, fixes the Market Intervention Price (MIP) at Rs 1,747 per quintal (Rs 17.47 per kg) for the 2026–27 marketing season. Coverage under the scheme is capped at 2,16,250 metric tonnes—representing 25 percent of the state’s estimated production—with the total financial subsidy burden shared equally on a 50:50 ratio between the Centre and the State.
Operational guidelines from the central directive specify that the maximum price differential payment will not exceed 25 percent of the fixed MIP, which translates to a ceiling of `436.75 per quintal.
The implementation window for the scheme is strictly restricted to one month from the date of the first transaction post-clearance. Under the protocol, the state government must arrange the necessary upfront working capital for direct price differential disbursements to the growers.
With the Centre’s circular now in place, a state-level high committee headed by the Principal Secretary of Agriculture and Horticulture will immediately finalize the local selling price protocols. Registered farmers must trade their produce through notified APMC mandis to qualify for relief.
All final price differential disbursements will be routed via Aadhaar-enabled Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) or verified bank accounts to maintain absolute structural accountability and eliminate middlemen. The state is also required to upload daily market arrivals and modal prices to the central portal, with final central reimbursement executed only after a thorough auditing and vetting of accounts by the central Costing Cell.
