Excess production of Totapuri mangoes leaves farmers, factory units high and dry

Totapuri mangoes being loaded into a truck at a ramp near Damalacheruvu market in Tirupati district on Thursday

The continued supply of Totapuri mangoes to Damalacheruvu mango market, the largest in the undivided Chittoor district, has triggered panic among the farmers.

Collector S. Venkateswar and Joint Collector Shubham Bansal have been making whirlwind tours to mango sale points to monitor the situation.

Notwithstanding the district administration’s assurance to procure even the last harvested mango, the farmers reportedly are indulging in panic harvest citing the end of the season. As a result, the price of mango has further plummeted in view of the copious supply.

Further, the sudden supply of tractors and trucks is also leading to a chaotic condition at the pulp factories. With the waiting time crossing 24 hours, many farmers were forced to dump the fruit on the roadside to avoid paying higher rent for the hired tractors, as the cost of labour and transportation surpassed the procurement price.

The District Collector visited scores of fruit processing units in Pakala mandal to monitor the procurement process and to ensure that the units were procuring the fruit at the assured price of ₹4/kg (plus the support price of ₹4/kg offered by the government).

Meanwhile, the factories are also trying to grapple with the overflowing supply of the fruit. With the international state of affairs still gloomy causing a dip in export of the fruit pulp, which amounts to nearly 60% of the total procurement from the region, the processing units have huge piled up stock.

As a result, they have appealed to the government to defer their loan payments in order to save their credit rating, which is being considered positively by the banks.

Published - June 19, 2025 08:13 pm IST