Agriculture Ministry Initiatives for Totapuri Mango Farmers
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, convened a high-level review meeting at Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi, to address the declining incomes and falling prices faced by Totapuri mango farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The meeting focused on comprehensive recommendations from an expert committee constituted by the Minister on July 2, 2026, which included scientists from ICAR–CISH (Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow), ICAR–IIHR (Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru), experts from Dr. YSR Horticultural University, Andhra Pradesh, and state horticulture department officials.
The committee, which conducted field visits from July 8-10 in Tirupati and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh, identified several key issues: lack of timely coordination in processing capacity and procurement arrangements, low quantity of real pulp in mango-based beverages domestically, and global market fluctuations. The committee found that factories often fail to make timely purchases at season start, causing simultaneous arrival of produce in mandis and processing units leading to price crashes.
Key recommendations include mandating 22-25% real natural mango pulp content in all mango-based beverages. The committee suggested maintaining only high-pulp beverages in the 5% concessional GST category while applying higher GST rates to low-pulp products, which would increase consumption of Totapuri mango pulp while providing consumers more nutritious beverages. Minister Chouhan directed convening an inter-ministerial meeting involving FSSAI, GST Council, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Health to reach consensus on standards and tax structure.
For value chain stabilization, the committee recommended establishing a Central Coordination and Price Stabilisation Committee as an apex institutional mechanism for major producing states. This committee would review crop estimates, processing and export demand, agricultural costs, and market conditions before each mango season to determine indicative profitable farm-gate procurement prices and reference prices for mango pulp.
Regarding cultivation improvements, the committee identified that large areas in Chittoor, Tirupati, Annamayya, and Kadapa districts contain old orchards with declined productivity and quality. They recommended orchard rejuvenation through top-working technique, grafting scions of high-value varieties (Neelam, Alphonso, Himayat, Banganapalli) onto existing trees to obtain new, more valuable crops within 2-3 years. The committee emphasized implementing Good Agricultural Practices at cluster level with training, demonstration gardens, and technical assistance.
To improve fruit quality and market access, the committee suggested providing fruit bags (covers) for approximately 23,333 hectares across the four districts to improve external texture, reduce pest damage, and enable access to premium markets. They also recommended developing zonal procurement and initial processing arrangements through joint annual procurement planning by the Horticulture Department, processing industry, and Farmer Producer Organizations.
The Andhra Pradesh Government was recommended to issue a Standard Operating Procedure mandating all registered processing units to begin procurement and pulp production from May 15 annually. The meeting also discussed farmer-led processing units and FPO-based value addition models, including technologies from ICAR–CISH and IIHR for making 'mango butter' and other value-added products from mango seed kernels to create additional income streams.
APEDA representatives outlined efforts to expand domestic and international markets for Totapuri and other Indian mangoes, particularly through sea routes to reduce costs and access new destinations. Minister Chouhan committed to preparing an integrated export and marketing strategy for Totapuri-based processed products and fresh table mangoes through cooperation between APEDA, ICAR, and State Governments.
The Minister emphasized making the entire Totapuri mango value chain farmer-centric with shared responsibility among Central and State Governments, ICAR, APEDA, Farmer Producer Organisations, and the processing industry. A clear roadmap will coordinate GST policies, food safety standards, and state policies to permanently increase farmer incomes and strengthen India's mango identity in global markets.