Totapuri Mangoes Dispute

1. Andhra Pradesh Bans Karnataka’s Totapuri Mangoes

• AP’s Chittoor district authorities imposed a unilateral ban on the transportation of Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka, enforced at inter-state checkposts i
• In response, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah appealed to CM Chandrababu Naidu to lift the ban, warning of potential retaliatory disruptions in vegetable and agricultural supply chains

2. Farmers Protest & Plummeting Prices

• Farmers in Kolar district dumped mangoes on highways after prices crashed from ₹12,000 to ₹3,000–₹4,000 per quintal, falling well below production costs (~₹5,466)
• Andhra’s Chittoor & Tirupati regions recorded Totapuri prices at ₹4,000/ton, a sharp fall from ₹18,000–₹30,000 last year—highlighting severe distress among growers

3. Policy Responses & Federalism Issues

• Karnataka requested the Centre to implement the Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) under MIS and direct procurement to cover shortfalls .
• Political tensions escalated, with Karnataka viewing AP’s actions as a violation of cooperative federalism, especially since local processing units in Chittoor depend on cross-border supply

UPSC Relevance

GS Paper 1 — Agriculture & Rural Issues

• Highlights agrarian distress, impact of price crashes, and limitations of support structures like MSP and PDPS.

GS Paper 2 — Federalism & Governance

• Illustrates inter-state coordination failure, unilateral policy action, and conflict in agricultural trade routes.

GS Paper 3 — Economy & Policy Measures

• Explores food price stabilization, market intervention schemes, role of MSP, and agrarian subsidies.

GS Paper 4 — Ethics in Admin

• Raises questions on government responsibility to farmer livelihoods and handling of policy disputes ethically.

UPSC Mains Answer Snapshot

Q. Analyse the Totapuri mango dispute between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh from the perspective of agrarian distress and cooperative federalism.

Answer points:

1. Intro: Describe key events—ban, protests, price fall, cross-border dependency.
2. Agrarian Distress: Cite market crash, MSP vs actual prices, farmer protests.
3. Policy Interventions: Assess PDPS call, procurement, role of central schemes.
4. Federal Dynamics: Critique unilateral action vs cooperative governance, supply chain disruptions.
5. Recommendations:
   • Strengthen federal dialogue mechanisms.
   • Standardize MSP and procurement during distress.
   • Institutionalize inter-state agri trade pacts.
   • Promote processing infrastructure in growing regions.
6. Conclusion: Emphasize integrated policy, cooperative structures, and farmer-centric approach

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