New Delhi/Bengaluru: Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, has written a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, appealing for urgent intervention to support Karnataka’s mango farmers grappling with a severe price crash and crop losses.
In the letter, Kumaraswamy urged the Centre to immediately declare a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for mangoes and begin procurement through NAFED and NCCF to stabilise the market and rescue distressed farmers.
Key Demands Made by Kumaraswamy:
- Immediate announcement of MSP for mangoes
- Central procurement via NAFED and NCCF
- Rapid government market intervention to prevent further losses
Kumaraswamy pointed out that mango growers across Karnataka are in deep distress due to a sharp decline in market prices, forcing many to dump their produce on roads as they are unable to recover even basic costs.
“The government must act swiftly to support these farmers. If the Centre fails to intervene now, there is no alternative support system for them,” he wrote.
Karnataka’s Mango Crisis: A Snapshot
- Mango is a key horticultural crop in Karnataka.
- Grown across 1.39 lakh hectares, especially in Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, and Ramanagara districts.
- The expected seasonal output in Rabi 2025 was between 8 to 10 lakh tonnes, but this year has seen a 30% drop in yield due to unseasonal weather and plant diseases.
Kumaraswamy highlighted that the dual blow of falling prices and reduced yield has pushed farmers to the brink, requiring urgent and concrete support from the central government.
