CM Stalin asks PM Modi to help farmers hit by mango glut
In a letter written to the PM and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Stalin said the state government has estimated that Rs 62.93 crore will be required to compensate farmers by paying them Rs 2,766 for each tonne of mangoes.
The letter explained that the price has been arrived at by calculating the difference between the present market price of Rs 5,000 per tonne (Rs 5 per kg) offered by pulp-making companies and the market intervention price (under MIS) of Rs 7,776 per tonne (Rs 7.7 per kg).
The letter said the MI price was arrived at by taking Rs 50,553 as input cost per hectare and an average yield of 6.51 tonnes per hectare. He urged the GoI to implement the scheme under a 50:50 cost-sharing model between the state and the centre to compensate for 2.27 lakh tonnes of 'Bangalora' variety of mangoes.
The CM's letter comes amid widespread protests by farmers in Tamil Nadu's mango-growing districts of Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Vellore and Tirupattur who had to dump their produce on the streets as pulp-making companies, which are the primary purchasers of the 'Bangalora' variety, have either refused to buy the produce or were offering a paltry price of Rs 5 per kg.
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