CHENNAI: Seeking the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help the Tamil Nadu mango farmers, who are affected by the steep fall in prices and lack of demand from pulp-making industries, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday urged the union government to implement the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) under PM-AASHA (Farmer Income Protection Scheme) for mangoes. The losses faced by farmers can be compensated with funds equally shared by the centre and the state, the CM said.
In a letter written to the PM and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Stalin said the state government has estimated that Rs 62.93 crore will be required to compensate farmers by paying them Rs 2,766 for each tonne of mangoes.
The letter explained that the price has been arrived at by calculating the difference between the present market price of Rs 5,000 per tonne (Rs 5 per kg) offered by pulp-making companies and the market intervention price (under MIS) of Rs 7,776 per tonne (Rs 7.7 per kg).
The letter said the MI price was arrived at by taking Rs 50,553 as input cost per hectare and an average yield of 6.51 tonnes per hectare. He urged the GoI to implement the scheme under a 50:50 cost-sharing model between the state and the centre to compensate for 2.27 lakh tonnes of ‘Bangalora’ variety of mangoes.
The CM’s letter comes amid widespread protests by farmers in Tamil Nadu’s mango-growing districts of Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore and Tirupattur who had to dump their produce on the streets as pulp-making companies, which are the primary purchasers of the ‘Bangalora’ variety, have either refused to buy the produce or were offering a paltry price of Rs 5 per kg.
Price of ‘Bangalora’ has fallen to Rs 4K–Rs 5K per tonne this year
Opposition parties have mounted pressure on the ruling DMK to compensate the farmers as done by the Andhra Pradesh government. Chief Minister M K Stalin, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stated that around 80% of the ‘Bangalora’ and 50% of the ‘Alphonso’ mango varieties cultivated in Tamil Nadu are used for pulp production. However, the price of the ‘Bangalora’ variety has fallen to Rs 4,000–Rs 5,000 per tonne this year, compared to Rs 7,000–Rs 8,000 per tonne last year.
Though this year’s yield was high due to favourable weather, the availability of leftover stock from the previous year has disrupted the supply-demand balance, leading to a dip in demand from pulp manufacturing companies. Tamil Nadu cultivates mangoes on 1.46 lakh hectares and produces 9.49 lakh tonnes annually, making it the seventh-largest mango producer in the country.
The chief minister sought the union government’s intervention on two other fronts to ease tensions between mango farmers and pulp manufacturers. He urged the centre to ensure strict adherence to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) norms. He alleged that companies producing mango-based beverages often fail to meet the prescribed minimum pulp content. Stalin also demanded a reduction in the GST on mango pulp from 12% to 5%, saying the existing tax structure disincentivises large-scale production. A lower tax, he said, would help both manufacturers and mango growers.
Food Minister R Sakkarapani, who is also the minister in charge of Krishnagiri district—Tamil Nadu’s leading mango-growing region—will hand over the letters to the Prime Minister and Union Agriculture Minister in person on Wednesday. Stalin also cited the recent decision of the union and Karnataka governments to compensate mango farmers under the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme and urged similar support for TN growers.