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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wrote a letter to Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu urging him to lift the ban on the entry of Karnataka's Totapari mangoes in Andhra's Chittoor district.
In his letter, the Karnataka CM raised his concern over the reported order issued by the Chittoor district collector over a ban on entry of Totapari mangoes into the district from other states. Siddaramaiah mentioned that teams from the revenue, police, forest, and marketing departments have been deployed at the inter-state check-posts adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to implement the order. "I am writing to convey my deep concern over an order reportedly issued by the District Collector of Chittoor on 07.06.2025, imposing a ban on the entry of Totapuri mangoes from other States into the district. I understand that multidisciplinary enforcement teams comprising officials from the Revenue, Police, Forest, and Marketing Departments have been deployed at the inter-State check-posts adjoining Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to implement this directive", Siddaramaiah's letter read. Furthermore, the Karnataka CM considered it an "abrupt" and "unilateral" move. He highlighted that the decision from the Andhra Pradesh government has caused hardship to the mango growers in Karnataka and especially to the ones who cultivate mangoes in large numbers in the border regions of the state. The Karnataka Chief Minister mentioned that the decision "has disrupted this well-established supply chain and threatens significant post-harvest losses." "This abrupt and unilateral move has caused considerable hardship to mango growers in Karnataka, particularly those in the border regions who cultivate Totapuri mangoes in substantial quantities. These farmers have long relied on the robust linkages with Chittoor-based processing and pulp extraction units for marketing their produce. The current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain and threatens significant post-harvest losses, directly impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers", the letter further read. Siddaramaiah stated that the decision may lead to retaliatory measures and said that the stakeholders have expressed their discontent on the issue, which may lead to disruption in the inter-state movement of vegetables and other agricultural commodities. "Moreover, actions of this nature, taken without prior consultation or coordination, run contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism. I am also concerned that this may lead to avoidable tension and retaliatory measures, with stakeholders already expressing discontent that could potentially disrupt the inter-State movement of vegetables and other agricultural commodities", the letter said. Siddaramaiah urged Chandrababu Naidu to intervene in the matter and believed that he would take the issue seriously to restore the seamless movement of agricultural produce in the interest of farmer welfare. "I urge your kind intervention in this matter and request that necessary directions be issued to the authorities in Chittoor District for the immediate revocation of the said order. I trust that you will treat this issue with the seriousness it warrants, and take swift steps to restore the seamless movement of agricultural produce in the interest of farmer welfare", the Karnataka CM said in his order. (ANI)
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