24 June,2025 10:19 PM IST | Chennai | mid-day online correspondent
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin. File Pic.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to address the grievances of mango farmers, who are suffering due to a drastic fall in prices.
He sought the implementation of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) under PM-AASHA (Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan).
In his letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister also urged a cut in GST for mango pulp to 5 per cent, requested compliance with FSSAI guidelines, and sought procurement by Union government agencies directly from farmers, news agency PTI reported.
He also sent an identical letter on the same issue to Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
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The Chief Minister requested the Centre's approval for implementing the intervention scheme and proposed Rs 2,766 per tonne to farmers (representing the difference between the MIS price and the market price). He suggested a 50:50 cost-sharing model between the Centre and the state, as per PM-AASHA norms, with an estimated outlay of Rs 62.93 crore.
Stalin explained that the price of mangoes has fallen drastically, in some cases even below Rs 5 per kilo, due to an increase in mango yield and a reduction in procurement by mango pulp manufacturers. Consequently, farmers have been forced to let mangoes ripen or sell them at very low prices. Farmers are unable to secure a fair price, and traders from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, who typically buy from Tamil Nadu, have refrained from procurement. He cited factors such as most pulp manufacturing units being privately run and the abundant availability of pulp in southern states, PTI reported.
In Tamil Nadu, the mango yield stands at approximately 9.49 lakh tonnes, from cultivation across 1.46 lakh hectares, making the state a frontrunner in fruit production. Underscoring the need for fair compensation to mango farmers under the current circumstances, the Chief Minister urged the Union government's intervention through the Market Intervention Scheme under PM-AASHA.
The Chief Minister specifically requested direct compensation for farmers under the intervention scheme.
Additionally, he urged that central procurement agencies be directed to commence purchases from farmers at a fair price, ensuring that they recover at least their minimum cultivation expenditure.
CM Stalin also sought appropriate guidelines to ensure that FSSAI standards regarding mango pulp content are adhered to by mango juice manufacturing companies. He reiterated that GST on mango pulp should be reduced to 5 per cent from the current 12 per cent.
An official release stated that Tamil Nadu Food Minister R. Sakkarapani would meet Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Delhi on Wednesday regarding this matter. MPs Tiruchi Siva, Kanimozhi, and legislators from mango-growing areas are expected to accompany him.
According to the Centre, the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) aims to ensure remunerative prices for farmers. All agricultural or horticultural commodities for which a Minimum Support Price (MSP) is not fixed and which are perishable in nature are covered under the MIS component of the integrated PM-AASHA scheme.
(With inputs from PTI)
