*Mango farmers should get Rs.15 per kg*

Tirupati, June 28: YSRCP State Official Spokesperson Bhumana Karunakar Reddy demanded that the Andhra Pradesh government ensure a minimum price of Rs.15 per kg for Totapuri mangoes to protect farmers from heavy losses. He warned that the party would launch an agitation in support of mango farmers if the government failed to respond. He released a video statement to the media from his residence in Tirupati.

He said the government's decision to provide Rs.4 per kg under the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) was not enough. Juice factories are not even purchasing mangoes at Rs.6 per kg, leaving farmers with less than Rs.10 per kg even after the subsidy. He said thousands of farmers were suffering as nearly two lakh tonnes of mangoes had already gone to waste due to the lack of proper market support.

Bhumana said farmers have been waiting outside juice factories for several days with tractor and lorry loads, but procurement has not improved. He urged the government to stop the exploitation by factories and ensure that all pending loads are purchased immediately.

He also asked the Andhra Pradesh government to follow the Karnataka model, where the Centre approved procurement of Totapuri mangoes at Rs.17.50 per kg. He said if the government continued to ignore the issue, YSRCP would intensify its fight in support of mango farmers.