While Indian mangoes are fetching premium prices in the US, with some retailers selling them for as much as $147 per box, the farmers back home are facing a severe price crash, with Totapuri mangoes in Andhra Pradesh selling for as low as ₹4-₹6 per kilogram, significantly below the ₹12 per kilogram needed to cover costs. In response to farmer grievances, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to form a high-level expert committee, led by Dr. T. Damodaran, to investigate the price collapse, particularly in Chittoor district, and recommend measures for price stabilization, value addition, and export competitiveness, with the committee tasked to visit growing regions and consult with stakeholders within ten days. This crisis, exacerbated by halted exports to West Asia due to regional conflict and a supply glut, has led to some government interventions, including the approval of a Price Deficiency Payment scheme for 2.16 lakh metric tonnes at an intervention price of ₹1,747 per quintal, and the state of Andhra Pradesh's commitment to procure 7.03 lakh metric tonnes and provide additional support, though farmers report continued low payments from processing units.

While Indian mangoes are fetching premium prices in the US, with some retailers selling them for as much as $147 per box, the farmers back home are facing a severe price crash, with Totapuri mangoes in Andhra Pradesh selling for as low as ₹4-₹6 per kilogram, significantly below the ₹12 per kilogram needed to cover costs. In response to farmer grievances, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to form a high-level expert committee, led by Dr. T. Damodaran, to investigate the price collapse, particularly in Chittoor district, and recommend measures for price stabilization, value addition, and export competitiveness, with the committee tasked to visit growing regions and consult with stakeholders within ten days. This crisis, exacerbated by halted exports to West Asia due to regional conflict and a supply glut, has led to some government interventions, including the approval of a Price Deficiency Payment scheme for 2.16 lakh metric tonnes at an intervention price of ₹1,747 per quintal, and the state of Andhra Pradesh's commitment to procure 7.03 lakh metric tonnes and provide additional support, though farmers report continued low payments from processing units.

While Indian mangoes are fetching premium prices in the US, with some retailers selling them for as much as $147 per box, the farmers back home are facing a severe price crash, with Totapuri mangoes in Andhra Pradesh selling for as low as ₹4-₹6 per kilogram, significantly below the ₹12 per kilogram needed to cover costs. In response to farmer grievances, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to form a high-level expert committee, led by Dr. T. Damodaran, to investigate the price collapse, particularly in Chittoor district, and recommend measures for price stabilization, value addition, and export competitiveness, with the committee tasked to visit growing regions and consult with stakeholders within ten days. This crisis, exacerbated by halted exports to West Asia due to regional conflict and a supply glut, has led to some government interventions, including the approval of a Price Deficiency Payment scheme for 2.16 lakh metric tonnes at an intervention price of ₹1,747 per quintal, and the state of Andhra Pradesh's commitment to procure 7.03 lakh metric tonnes and provide additional support, though farmers report continued low payments from processing units.

While many accounts based in the US flood social media with posts about discovering how good Indian mangoes are—some even resorting to buying them from "shady mango dealers" just to get the authentic fruit—the farmers who grow them back home are struggling to make ends meet.

Miami Fruit, a sought-after US fruit retailer in South Florida, even has Totapuri mangoes on pre-order at $147 for a 4-5 pound box. Converting to today's forex and metric terms, it comes close to a staggering ₹7,000 per kilogram. Back in India, farmers have to fight to increase the prices they get from a measly ₹6 a kilogram to the promised ₹12 per kilo. And now, the Centre has taken note of these farmers' woes.

This week, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to set up a high-level expert committee to examine the collapse in Totapuri mango prices in Andhra Pradesh, following farmer complaints raised during his recent visit to the state.

Chittoor district, which produces the bulk of India's Totapuri mangoes used primarily for pulp and juice processing, has seen farmgate prices crash as low as ₹4 to ₹6 per kilogram this season, well below the ₹12 per kilogram farmers say covers their input costs.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had earlier written to Chouhan seeking ₹281 crore in central relief, noting that the state cultivates mango across 3.99 lakh hectares with annual production of 52.65 lakh metric tonnes.

The five-member committee will be chaired by Dr T. Damodaran, director of ICAR's Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow, and includes horticulture scientists from Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh's Dr YSR Horticultural University, alongside the state's Director of Horticulture.

Members have been directed to visit major growing regions within ten days, engaging farmers, processors, exporters and Farmer Producer Organisations to understand ground realities before preparing a report on price stabilisation, value addition and export competitiveness.

Industry sources have attributed the price crash to halted exports amid the West Asia conflict disrupting mango pulp shipments to Gulf countries, combined with a supply glut, since Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations rank among India's top mango pulp export destinations.

The Centre has already approved implementation of the Price Deficiency Payment scheme under the Market Intervention Scheme for the 2026–27 season, covering 2.16 lakh metric tonnes at an intervention price of ₹1,747 per quintal, with costs shared equally between Centre and state.

Andhra Pradesh has separately committed to procuring 7.03 lakh metric tonnes of Totapuri mangoes and providing an additional ₹4 per kilogram support to growers. Despite these measures, farmer representatives in Chittoor say processing units continue to pay under ₹6 per kilogram, well short of promised rates.

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