New Delhi: The Centre has set up a high-level committee under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to study the sharp fall in Totapuri mango prices and the resultant distress among growers in Andhra Pradesh.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered the move after farmers, during his recent visit to the state, flagged a steep decline in prices of the Totapuri variety 'widely grown for the processing industry' over the past few months, which they said has hit their incomes hard, the ministry said in a statement.
The committee, comprising scientists and representatives of related institutions, has been tasked with a full review of the Totapuri mango value chain spanning 'cultivation, processing, marketing, domestic trade and exports'. The panel will also suggest steps to improve farmer returns and put the sector on a sustainable footing.
As per an office order from ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), Lucknow, the panel will be headed by Dr T Damodaran, Director, ICAR-CISH. Other members include Dr M Shankaran (Head, Fruit Crops Division, ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru), Dr H S Singh (Principal Scientist, ICAR-CISH), Dr D Srinivasa Reddy (Professor, College of Horticulture, Anantharajupeta, Dr YSR Horticultural University) and the Andhra Pradesh Director of Horticulture or nominee.
Chouhan has directed the committee to visit key Totapuri-growing belts in Andhra Pradesh within 10 days and consult farmers, processors, exporters, state horticulture officials and FPOs to get a ground-level picture.
The panel will examine cultivation costs, farmers' incomes, processing capacity utilisation, demand-supply trends, and the reasons behind the price slide in both domestic and export markets, and identify bottlenecks and opportunities across the value chain.
Based on its field study and consultations, the committee will submit a detailed report to the Agriculture Ministry with recommendations on price stabilisation, value addition, boosting processing and export capacity, and better coordination among FPOs, processors and exporters to guide joint action by the Centre and the state government.
Chouhan said protecting the income and livelihood of Totapuri growers is a government priority and that measures would be taken, based on the committee's findings, to support farmers and expand value-addition, export, and investment opportunities in the sector.
Andhra Pradesh is ruled by the Telugu Desam Party, a key NDA ally at the Centre and in the state.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.