Centre, Karnataka govt to buy 2.5L tonnes of mangoes from distressed farmers

The Centre and the Karnataka government will jointly compensate mango farmers in the state for up to 2.5 lakh tonnes of produce under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) after prices crashed due to a bumper crop of the Totapuri variety.

An official statement issued by the Union agriculture ministry confirmed this on Saturday (June 21). A Market Intervention Price (MIP) of Rs 1,616 per quintal has been fixed for Karnataka mangoes for the 2025–26 market year.

Also read: Andhra vs Karnataka: Why Totapuri mango has sparked an inter-state feud

Mango politics

Following repeated requests by farmers to provide a support price, the Congress-run state government had requested the BJP-led central government to step in. Initially, the Centre had not considered the appeal even as protests by farmers continued.

Subsequently, Union minister and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, bringing the matter to his attention. Following his intervention, the MIP has now been announced officially.

Notably, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chouhan, urging immediate action to address the distress of mango farmers in the state. In key mango-producing districts like Krishnagiri, Tiruvallur, Vellore, Dindigul, Madurai, Salem, Dharmapuri, and Theni, prices have crashed to as low as Rs 3-4 per kg, largely due to halted exports to West Asia because of the Israel-Iran conflict.

What is MIS?

Chouhan reportedly held a video conference with Karnataka Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy to finalised the joint compensation mechanism under MIS.

Under this scheme, which covers perishable agricultural and horticultural commodities that are not covered under the Price Support Scheme, the government protects the interest of farmers in the event of a bumper crop. The scheme is implemented at the request of a state government, which is ready to bear 50 per cent of the loss (25 per cent for north-eastern states), if any.

Under the scheme, agencies designated by the state government procure a pre-determined quantity of the crop at the fixed MIP for a fixed period or till the prices are stabilized above the MIP, whichever is earlier. The total amount of loss to be shared is restricted to 25 per cent of the total procurement value.

Also read: TN's mango farmers in crisis as Iran-Israel conflict hit exports

Chouhan credits Kumaraswamy

“To address the drop in mango prices, the central and state governments will jointly bear the cost of the price difference and pay that to the farmers,” the Union agriculture ministry said. Following the rules of the scheme, the relief will apply to 25 per cent of the estimated 10 lakh tonnes of mangoes produced in the state this season, the statement said.

In a letter to Kumaraswamy, Chouhan confirmed the decision and said it was the result of Kumaraswamy’s persistent efforts. The former posted a thank-you note on X.

Also read: UP: Dussehri mango goes global; first consignment exported to Dubai

Kumaraswamy thanks Chouhan

“My heartfelt thanks to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi avaru for the unwavering and farmer-centric commitment of his government, which has swiftly come to the aid of Karnataka’s mango growers,” his tweet read.

“I express my gratitude, on behalf of Karnataka’s mango farmers, to Union Agriculture Minister Shri @ChouhanShivraj avaru for promptly announcing a support price under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS), right after I submitted a request in light of the severe distress caused by the price crash,” it went on.

Karnataka minister Swamy also thanked Chouhan for approving the scheme. “This decision will support and provide relief to mango-producing farmers in the state,” he said.

(This article first appeared in The Federal Karnataka)