Kolar Mango Farmers Reject Government Financial Package For Totapuri Variety

Totapuri mango farmers in Kolar district have expressed strong displeasure and protested against the Market Intervention Price (MIP) financial assistance package approved by the Central and State governments on Thursday. The growers claim the approved assistance of ₹4.37 per kg is too low to help them recover their basic cultivation costs.

The announcement of the approved package was made on Thursday by Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Under the scheme, growers of Totapuri mangoes will receive an MIP of ₹1,750 per quintal, covering the procurement of up to 1.30 lakh tonnes of produce. A committee chaired by the Principal Secretary of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Cooperation of the Karnataka government will decide the final selling price.

However, farmers are upset because the maximum quantum of differential payment between the MIP and the selling price is capped at 25% of the MIP. This means the State and Central governments combined will pay only 25% of the ₹1,750 per quintal rate, which translates to ₹4,375 per tonne, or just ₹4.37 per kg.

The Kolar District Mango Growers’ Welfare Association has strongly criticized the decision. Neelataru Chinappa Reddy, president of the association, stated that the governments had "served water instead of serving food to a hungry farmer." The association had demanded ₹10 per kg specifically for the Totapuri variety, stating that at least ₹8 per kg was necessary to cover expenses.

According to Reddy, the new rate represents an increase of only 17 paise from last year's assistance of ₹4.20 per kg. He announced that the association plans to submit another memorandum to the State government and the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited soon.

The issue began on June 22 when thousands of farmers in Kolar held a protest over the low prices of Totapuri mangoes. Following the protest, the Karnataka State government sent a proposal to the Centre recommending ₹17.50 per kg as the cost of cultivation and seeking MIP support. Union Minister for Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy had also met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to seek financial aid.

The Union government has now released guidelines for the implementation of the MIP. The Price Deficiency Payment scheme will remain operational for one month during the marketing season. To receive benefits, farmers must sell their produce through notified Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) markets. The Karnataka government must also publish a list of authorized traders, and compensation will be transferred directly to eligible farmers through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.