Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to constitute a high-level expert committee to address the significant decline in Totapuri mango prices affecting farmers in Andhra Pradesh. The decision follows the Minister's recent visit to the state where farmers reported that prices for this processing-industry variety have fallen substantially in recent months, adversely affecting their incomes and creating financial stress.
The committee will be chaired by Dr. T. Damodaran, Director of ICAR–Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow, and includes Dr. M. Shankaran (Head, Fruit Crops Division, ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru), Dr. H.S. Singh (Principal Scientist, ICAR–CISH, Lucknow), Dr. D. Srinivasa Reddy (Professor, College of Horticulture, Anantharajupeta), and the Director of Horticulture, Government of Andhra Pradesh or nominee. The committee has been instructed to undertake field visits to major Totapuri mango-growing regions of Andhra Pradesh within the next ten days to interact with farmers, processing industry representatives, exporters, state horticulture officials, Farmer Producer Organisations, and other stakeholders.
The committee's mandate includes examining the entire value chain from cultivation and processing to marketing, domestic trade, and exports. Specific areas of focus include current cultivation status, production costs, farmers' incomes, processing capacity and utilization, demand-supply dynamics, and factors responsible for price decline in domestic and export markets. The committee will assess challenges across the value chain and identify opportunities for improving efficiency, competitiveness, and market access.
Based on field observations, stakeholder consultations, and scientific analysis, the committee will prepare a detailed assessment of factors contributing to price decline and submit a comprehensive report to the Union Minister. The report is expected to include recommendations on price stabilization measures, promotion of value addition, enhancement of processing and export capacities, strengthening coordination among Farmer Producer Organisations, processors, and exporters, and policy interventions required for long-term sustainable development of the Totapuri mango sector. The recommendations will serve as the basis for coordinated action by Central and State Governments to safeguard income and livelihoods of mango growers while creating new opportunities for value addition, exports, investment, and employment.