Mango farmers in Madurai leave produce to rot as prices crash to Rs 3 per kg; demand MSP of Rs 20

Madurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], June 25 (ANI): Mango farmers in the Melur Taluk of Madurai district are facing severe financial distress as the farm-gate price for the 'Kili Mooku' (Totapuri) variety has crashed to a record low of Rs 3 per kilogram, forcing many to leave their harvest to rot on trees or cut down plantations to avoid further losses.

The crisis has hit farmers across more than a thousand acres of farmland in the region, where production costs and labour charges have now far exceeded the market value of the fruit. While farmers receive a mere Rs 3 per kg, the same produce is being sold in retail markets for over Rs 40 per kg, highlighting a massive price disparity.
Speaking to ANI, Jeeva, a local farmer, detailed the unsustainable nature of the current market conditions. "Farmers in this region invest nearly Rs 1 lakh per acre annually on maintenance and production. However, despite this investment, farmers are not receiving fair prices for their produce, nor are they able to earn reasonable returns... Unfortunately, over the past two years, mango prices have witnessed a severe and continuous decline. The farm-gate price has fallen from around Rs 5 per kilogram to Rs 4, and now to as low as Rs 3 per kilogram. At the same time, mango-based products such as juices and beverages are being sold in the market at much higher prices. For example, a small bottle of mango juice is sold for around Rs 10, while farmers receive only Rs 3 per kilogram for the raw fruit," he said.
Jeeva further explained that the low returns have made it impossible to hire help for the harvest. "At the current price of Rs 3 per kilogram, it is impossible to pay labour charges, transportation expenses, commission charges, and other operational costs. Labourers themselves are unwilling to harvest mangoes at such low returns. A worker cannot be hired for less than Rs 700 per day, while the value of the harvested produce is often insufficient to cover even that expense," he added.
Faced with mounting debts, many farmers in the Kottampatti Union have reportedly started cutting down their mango trees. Farmers' associations are now urging the Tamil Nadu government to intervene by establishing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crop.
"We strongly urge the Tamil Nadu Government to determine a fair support price based on market realities and production costs. States such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have already taken steps in this direction. Last year, support prices of around Rs 8 per kilogram were provided in certain regions. Similar measures should be introduced in Tamil Nadu. We believe that a minimum support price of at least Rs 20 per kilogram should be considered to make mango cultivation economically viable. This demand has been continuously raised by farmers and farmers' organisations for the past two years, but unfortunately, it has not received adequate attention," Jeeva said.
The farmers have also requested the state government to coordinate with fruit pulp industries and juice manufacturers to ensure fair procurement. While the crisis is currently centred in Madurai, farmers warned that similar conditions are prevailing in other major mango-producing belts like Krishnagiri, Salem, Dharmapuri, and Dindigul, threatening the livelihoods of thousands across the state. (ANI)