Overview
- On July 3 the Agriculture Ministry ordered a high-level expert committee under ICAR to investigate the sharp fall in Totapuri mango prices in Andhra Pradesh and its impact on growers.
- The panel is chaired by Dr T Damodaran of ICAR‑CISH and includes senior horticulture scientists and a nominee from the Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Department to gather technical and local perspectives.
- Officials have tasked the committee to visit major Totapuri belts within ten days and consult farmers, processors, exporters, FPOs and state officials to map problems across cultivation, processing, marketing and exports.
- Reports and photos show growers dumping large piles of Totapuri fruit near mango mandis, signalling acute short-term distress as processing demand and export orders lagged behind a bumper harvest.
- The Centre has signalled possible policy moves: one report says officials cleared a Price Deficiency Payment under the Market Intervention Scheme for the season, but wider remedial steps await the committee’s recommendations.