Tirupati, June 27 (PTI) YSRCP leader Maddila Gurumoorthy on Friday urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to rescue mango farmers in Andhra Pradesh, who are facing severe distress due to crashing prices and the widespread shutdown of mango processing units.
In a letter to Chouhan, the MP from Tirupati, pointed out that over 12.35 lakh acres are under mango cultivation in Andhra Pradesh, accounting for 16.5 percent of India’s total mango cultivation area, yet production remains disproportionately low.
“Farmers are being forced to sell Thothapuri (variety) mangoes at Rs 1 to Rs 4 per kg—far below the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 12,” Gurumoorthy wrote in the letter, which was shared on YSRCP’s ‘X’ handle.
He noted that 28 of the 52 mango processing units in the Chittoor and Tirupati region have shut down, breaking the mango value chain and causing massive job losses.
Gurumoorthy sought urgent MSP-based procurement, the establishment of a National Mango Board in Tirupati for price stabilisation and exports, and a National Mango Research Station under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
These proposals, Gurumoorthy said, align with the Central Government’s vision of doubling farmers’ incomes, boosting horticulture-led growth, and enhancing India’s agricultural export competitiveness under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. PTI MS STH SSK
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