Totapuri Mango Ban Sparks Interstate Row: Siddaramaiah Urges Andhra to Lift Blockade

BM Team

Totapuri Mango Ban Sparks Interstate Row; Siddaramaiah Urges Andhra to Lift Blockade

A sudden ban on the entry of Karnataka’s Totapuri mangoes into Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district has triggered a sharp protest from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka CM has on June 11 formally urged his Andhra counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu to revoke the order immediately, citing severe hardship to farmers and disruption of trade.

The ban, imposed by the Chittoor District Collector on June 7, blocks mango consignments from Karnataka at inter-state check posts. Multidisciplinary teams, including revenue, forest, police, and marketing officials, have been deployed to enforce the restriction, leaving trucks stranded and farmers anxious.

Calling the move “abrupt and unilateral,” Siddaramaiah, in his letter, noted that the action has hit mango growers in Karnataka hard, especially those who rely on Chittoor’s large pulp-processing industry. The halt in fruit movement has led to significant post-harvest losses and threatens the livelihoods of thousands of cultivators in the region.

“This undermines a well-established supply chain and weakens the spirit of cooperative federalism,” Siddaramaiah wrote, cautioning that such uncoordinated decisions risk escalating interstate tensions.

Totapuri mangoes, a major summer crop in Karnataka, are transported in bulk to Andhra Pradesh for processing and export. With peak season underway, even a few days’ delay could prove costly.

The Karnataka CM has requested Naidu’s immediate intervention to restore the smooth flow of agricultural trade across state borders, a call that now awaits Andhra’s response.