Tirupati: Rythu Sangham demands remunerative price to mangoes

Tirupati: AP Rythu Sangham sought the government intervention to ensure remunerative price to mango farmers in Chittoor district. In a release, Sangham district president T Janardhan demanded the

government to utilise the 'Price Stabilisation Fund' to see the farmers get remunerative price for their crop. He said the pulp industries offering only Rs 8 a kg of Thothapuri variety mango produced by the farmers in the district while the district collector in the recent official meeting with farmers and industries urged the industries to provide at least Rs 13 a kg.

After hard bargaining the industries are now procuring the mangoes at Rs 11 which is not remunerative, he said seeking the government to provide Rs 5 a kg to the farmers from the Price Stabilisation Fund and also order industries procure mangoes at Rs 13 per kg so that the farmers could get Rs 18 per kg of mangoes which to some extent help farmers avoid loss this year.

The pulp variety Thothapuri mangoes grown in about one lakh acres in Chittoor district, he said adding that due to untimely rains accompanied by high velocity wind mango crop suffered damage in the district adding more to the woes of the farmers.