South's mango war: Karnataka urges Andhra Pradesh to lift Totapuri entry ban

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed "deep concern" over the ban, and called it an "abrupt and unilateral move" that has severely impacted mango farmers in Karnataka's border regions.

Two days after Karnataka's Chief Secretary formally raised the issue with the Andhra Pradesh government, Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu to withdraw the ban on Totapuri mangoes entering Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh from Karnataka, NDTV reported.

As per the report, Siddaramaiah expressed "deep concern" over the ban, and called it an "abrupt and unilateral move" that has severely impacted mango farmers in Karnataka's border regions. These farmers, he said, grow 'Totapuri' mangoes in large quantities and depend heavily on Chittoor to sell their produce.

"The current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain and threatens significant post-harvest losses, directly impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers," NDTV quoted the letter written by Siddaramaiah.

The Karnataka CM, as per the report, also highlighted that the ban undermines the principles of cooperative federalism, warning that such decisions made without prior consultation could lead to avoidable tensions and potential retaliatory measures. "Stakeholders are already expressing discontent that could potentially disrupt the interstate movement of vegetables and other agricultural commodities," the CM added.

As per the report, the controversy erupted after an order was issued on June 7 by the District Collector of Chittoor, allegedly imposing a ban on 'Totapuri' mangoes entering the district from other states. To enforce the ban, the Andhra Pradesh government is said to have deployed multidisciplinary teams comprising officials from the Revenue, Police, Forest, and Marketing departments at inter-state check posts along the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu borders.

As the mango season is in full swing, both states are now under pressure to resolve the issue quickly and avoid a larger inter-state trade conflict, the report added.