New Delhi: A ban imposed by the Chittoor district administration in Andhra Pradesh on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from other states has sparked a sharp response from Karnataka, with chief minister Siddaramaiah warning of “retaliatory sentiments” and urging Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu to intervene.
In a letter, Siddaramaiah called the ban “abrupt and unilateral”, stating it had caused “considerable hardship” to mango growers in Karnataka, particularly those in border districts who depend on Chittoor-based processing and pulp units to market their produce.
Against the spirit of cooperative federalism
Siddaramaiah warned that actions taken without prior consultation were against the spirit of cooperative federalism and could lead to unnecessary tensions. “This may lead to avoidable tension and retaliatory measures”, Siddaramaiah wrote, adding that stakeholders had already begun expressing discontent over the disruption.
Karnataka chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh also wrote to her Andhra counterpart, K Vijayanand, requesting immediate revocation of the order. “This disruption in interstate trade threatens their livelihoods and may result in substantial post-harvest losses,” she wrote, cautioning that such moves could lead to the obstruction of vegetable inflows from Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra defends move
Defending the decision, Chittoor district collector Sumeet Kumar said the ban was necessary to protect local farmers amid a bumper crop in Andhra Pradesh, which had already caused a steep drop in prices. He said allowing mangoes from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu would further depress prices and hurt Andhra growers.
Kumar confirmed that a team from Karnataka’s Kolar district was in Chittoor to assess the situation. Andhra Pradesh, he added, had sought production data from Karnataka, stressing that the aim was not to stop trade but to protect local farmers from distress sales.
Around three lakh tonnes of Totapuri mangoes are sent annually from Karnataka to pulp units in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. This year, processing units are offering only Rs 4 per kg, lower than the Rs 8 MSP fixed by Andhra Pradesh — half of which is subsidised by the state government.
