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

The Totapuri mango has triggered an unexpected inter-state feud, with Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district clamping a ban on its entry from the neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shooting off a letter to his Andhra counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, requesting him to lift it.

The Totapuri (or Ginimoothi) mango, identifiable by its “parrot-beak” shape from which it gets its name, is widely cultivated across Chittoor district, as well as parts of the two neighbouring southern states named above. Apart from being sold fresh in the markets, it is also pulped at processing units for both domestic and international consumption.

What caused the crisis?

However, a bumper crop of 6 lakh tonnes has sharply pushed down market prices for the variety this year, triggering the inter-state war. To shield the farmers of Chittoor, which is just a short drive from neighbouring mango-producing regions in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the district administration, with the support of the forest, marketing, and police departments, clamped a ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from those states on June 7.

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At the same time, District Collector Sumit Kumar announced a support price of Rs 12 per kilo for farmers. Of this, Rs 4 will be covered by the state government and Rs 8 by pulp processing industries. However, factory owners are reluctant to procure the mangoes arguing that, first, while the open market rate (those from neighbouring states) is only Rs 4–5 per kilo, paying Rs 8 is simply not viable. Second, they say pulp stocks from Chittoor remain unsold since 2023.

Pulp units’ troubles

Chittoor has 47 pulp units, of which only 16 have started operating this season. Seven units have permanently shut down. “To restart a factory each season, it takes Rs 30–50 lakh. Without bank loans, it’s not feasible. Due to the ongoing wars, exports of pulp produced in 2023 and 2024 seasons have stalled, and banks are now pressuring us for repayments,” a factory owner told The Federal.

“Compared to previous years, we still have 1.75 lakh tonnes of pulp unsold. We have agreements for only 50,000 tonnes over six months. Until this stock moves, factory owners can’t get relief,” said an industry representative. Pulp unit owners say they’re willing to pay only Rs 6 per kilo.

Desperate measures

Such is the level of desperation that alongside restricting mangoes from other states, Collector Sumit Kumar has also directed officials to monitor pulp unit purchases closely. The 16 mango pulp units that have started operations this season in Chittoor are now under official supervision through a shift-based monitoring system.

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However, the processing industries, while prioritising local produce, also have a responsibility to treat farmers from neighbouring states fairly. Concerns are rising that Chittoor’s restrictions could sow discord among the three states.

With three pulp units in Karnataka’s Kolar and another in Tumkur not opening this season, farmers from those areas are now looking towards Chittoor. After all, the mango season lasts only three months a year. “We’re supplying to factories in Karnataka with no fixed rate — the farmers have no other option,” they said.

Karnataka’s reliance on Andhra

The Congress-ruled Karnataka, which has not introduced any support price for farmers, has been selling its Totapuri produce at the abysmally low rate of Rs 5–6 per kilo. On June 10, Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh wrote to her Andhra counterpart, K Vijayanand, requesting the immediate withdrawal of the restriction.

Last week, Siddaramaiah shot off a letter to the NDA-ruled Andhra’s Chief Minister Naidu, urging him to withdraw the ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes into Chittoor district. Siddaramaiah is learned to have expressed concern that the “abrupt and unilateral” ban had caused “considerable hardship to mango growers in Karnataka, particularly those in the border regions who cultivate Totapuri mangoes in substantial quantities”.

He reminded Naidu that Karnataka’s farmers have long depended on their connection with Chittoor-based processing and pulp units to market their produce and urged him to intervene and ensure the immediate revocation of the ban order.

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“Against spirit of federalism”

Siddaramaiah has warned that such decisions, made without any prior consultation, were against the spirit of cooperative federalism. “Actions of this nature, taken without prior consultation or coordination, run contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism. I am also concerned that this may lead to avoidable tension and retaliatory measures,” he wrote.

“I trust that you will treat this issue with the seriousness it warrants, and take swift steps to restore the seamless movement of agricultural produce in the interest of farmer welfare,” Siddaramaiah wrote.

Sharing the letter on X, Siddaramaiah wrote on June 12, “I have written to Andhra Pradesh CM Shri @ncbn requesting him to withdraw the ban on the entry of Totapuri Mangoes from Karnataka into Chittoor district. This ban hurts thousands of farmers and traders. Cooperation between states is vital for the prosperity of our people.”