What should have been a celebration has now turned into a time of financial hardship for thousands of Totapuri mango farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Although they harvested a bumper crop this year, market prices collapsed and were not recovering their cultivation costs.
The unexpected fall in prices has left many farmers struggling, most especially in the Rayalaseema region, where Totapuri mango cultivation is one of the most important sources of income.
While production is still high, the oversupply in the market has dropped the price so much that growers have not made money after days of hard work.
Farmers say the crisis has been worsened by the continuous rise in cultivation costs. The cost of fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, transportation, and farm labour have increased steadily for the past seven years.
The high prices traders are giving to cover these growing input costs have helped yield growth and also have not helped.
Bumper harvest turns bitter as price crash hits Totapuri farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) July 11, 2026
A steep fall in market prices has made it difficult for many Totapuri growers to recover their cultivation costs, even as labour and input costs keep rising.
Mango farmers now want government… pic.twitter.com/gZAQaDfPmi
The amount they get for their produce is far below what is required to maintain their farming. Some farmers have said repeated losses would deter them from continuing mango cultivation in the upcoming seasons.
Mango farmers are anxious to see the Andhra Pradesh government and the Centre move in to alleviate their distress. They are looking for price stabilization, financial intervention, procurement support, and better market access to prevent further losses.
Adding to that issue, social activists say the difficulties faced by Totapuri mango growers are symptomatic of a much broader agrarian crisis in the Rayalaseema region.
The farmers cultivating various crops also have unstable market prices, increasing production costs, uncertain weather conditions, and mounting debts. To be more sustainable over the long term, they say, much policy reform is needed.
Given the state of the situation, the central government has set up a high-level committee for agriculture research by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
The committee will investigate the reason behind the sharp fall in Totapuri mango prices and the extent of financial distress among farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
The committee will therefore consider production levels, supply chains, export opportunities, processing capacity, market demand, and other factors and offer recommendations to stabilize prices and protect farmers’ livelihoods.
Agricultural experts predict that improving cold storage facilities, strengthening food processing industries, promoting exports, and establishing better market links in the future will reduce the impact of such price fluctuations. And long-term policies that give farmers greater income security are key, they say.
But at present, many Totapuri mango farmers are still unsure about their future. Although the orchards got a good crop this year, the sharp fall in prices has turned what should have been a profitable year into one of economic distress. Growers hope that the ICAR committee’s findings will lead to immediate government action and long-term solutions to protect India’s mango farmers from similar crises in the future.
