Lok Sabha Question No. 513 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-03
Subject: Distress Sale of Mangoes by Tribal Farmers
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 513

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 03 RD  FEBRUARY, 2026

## DISTRESS SALE OF MANGOES BY TRIBAL FARMERS

513. SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that thousands of tribal mango farmers of Kashipur block in Rayagada district, Odisha are facing severe distress due to the absence of cold storage, lack of mandi procurement, unaffordable fertilisers and total absence of processing units, forcing them into distress sale every harvest season;
- (b) whether  it  is  a  fact  that,  in  the  absence  of  institutional  procurement,  private  traders and middlemen are buying mangoes at exploitative prices, depriving tribal farmers of fair income despite rising market prices elsewhere, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  details  of  cold  storages,  regulated  mandis,  FPOs,  price  support  schemes  and mango processing units sanctioned or operational in Rayagada district and Kashipur block during the last five years; and
- (d) the  time-bound  action  plan  of  the  Government  to  establish  cold  storage,  ensure mandi-based procurement, promote processing and guarantee remunerative prices so that tribal mango farmers are protected from distress sale and exploitation?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष एवं ͩकसान कãयाण राÏय मंğी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)

- (a) & (b): No  such  reports  have  been  received  by  the  Government  of  India  from  the State Government of Odisha in this regard. However, the State Government of Odisha has reported that  the  Government is  aware  of  the  specific  logistical  and  seasonal challenges faced by tribal mango farmers in the Kashipur block of Rayagada.
-  Seasonal  Price  Compression: Unlike  early-harvest  districts  such  as  Dhenkanal and Angul, which capture premium market prices, Rayagada's mango harvest occurs later in the season. This often coincides with market saturation and the onset of early rainfall.
-  Quality Impacts: Late-season harvest along with early rainfall frequently results in "black spots"/blemishes on the fruit, which diminishes the aesthetic quality required for  high-end  export  markets  and  lowers  the  bargaining  power  of  farmers  against private traders.
-  Intervention: To mitigate these risks, the Government is focusing on strengthening Farmer  Producer  Organizations  (FPOs)  to  improve  post-harvest  handling  and collective  bargaining.  Currently, there are  70  registered FPOs  in  Rayagada  district with 5 FPOs in Kashipur block.

(c): As per the information received from the State Government of Odisha, during the last five years, 2 cold storages with a total capacity of 5,600 MT, 7 solar-based cold rooms, and one Hot Water Treatment facility along-with two Regulated Market Committees have been established in Rayagada and Gunupur Blocks.

(d): To avoid distress sale  of horticultural  crops,  the  Government of  India,  through  the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), provides financial assistance to all States/UTs for development of post-harvest management infrastructure, processing and value  addition  facilities,  including  in  tribal  and  backward  areas,  based  on  proposals received from the States/UTs as per their approved Annual Action Plan (AAP). The scheme is demand/entrepreneur driven.

In  addition  to  provide  remunerative  price  to  the  farmers,  Government  implements Market Intervention Scheme  (MIS), a  component  under  Pradhan Mantri  Annadata Sanrakshan  Abhiyan  (PM-AASHA),  for  procurement of agricultural and horticultural commodities, which are perishable in nature and are not covered under the Price Support Scheme (PSS). The objective of intervention is to protect the growers of these commodities from making distress sale in the event of a bumper crop during the peak arrival period when the prices tend to fall below economic levels. The scheme is implemented at the request of a State/UT Government, which is ready to bear 50 percent of the loss (25 percent in case of North-Eastern States), if any, incurred on its implementation.

Further,  Government  has  introduced  a  new component of  Price Differential Payment (PDP) under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) from 2024-25 season for direct payment of the price difference between the Market Intervention Price (MIP) and the selling price to the farmers  of  perishable  crops.  States/UTs  have  an  option  to  choose  either  to  do  physical procurement of the crop or to make the differential payment between the MIP & Sale Price to the farmers.

Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare approves procurement of Mangoes at  Market Intervention Price (MIP) under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) on request of States/UTs when the market prices fall below the MIP.

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