Bengaluru/Kolar: The growing distress among mango growers in Karnataka’s largest mango-producing belt of Kolar–Chikkaballapur triggered a day-long bandh in parts of Kolar Monday, with farmers demanding immediate government intervention and the announcement of a support price for the “king of fruits.”Led by the District Mango Growers’ Association and supported by various farmers’ and labour organisations, protesters highlighted the deepening crisis confronting thousands of growers as market prices have fallen well below production costs. Farmers are demanding a support price of Rs 8,000–Rs 10,000 per tonne, arguing that Karnataka should follow the example of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, which has already announced a support price of Rs 4 per kilogram for mangoes.Kolar district accounts for nearly 45,000 hectares of mango cultivation, with Srinivaspur taluk emerging as the state’s largest mango-producing region. However, growers say the two dominant varieties—Totapuri and Benisha—are fetching barely Rs 5 per kg in the market, while the cost of production has risen to around Rs 8.6 per kg.“Mango cultivation has become economically unviable. Prices are fluctuating continuously, input costs have increased, and farmers are unable to recover even their basic investment,” said District Mango Growers’ Association president Nelatur Chinnappa Reddy. The crisis has become so severe that several small and marginal farmers are reportedly leaving ripe fruits unharvested, as the cost of harvesting, transportation and marketing exceeds the returns they can expect from sales.Farmer leaders blame the situation partly on inadequate processing infrastructure in Karnataka. While Kolar has only four processing units capable of handling about 900 tonnes of mangoes per day, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has 41 processing units with a combined capacity of over 12,000 tonnes daily, enabling better procurement and price support to farmers.Kolar deputy commissioner Ravi MR has urged the state govt to introduce the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS), which was implemented in previous years. The issue has also been raised with CM DK Shivakumar by food and civil supplies minister KH Muniyappa who also hails from Kolar district.
