Tamil Nadu: Pulp units syndicate blamed for crisis

COIMBATORE: With the issue of mango farmers spiralling out of crisis, the need of the hour is for the government to initiate measures to bring a permanent solution to overcome loss at such times of distress.

The farmers seek the intervention of the government in establishing pulp-making units and help them avoid being entirely dependent on the private pulp industry.

“On the lines of co-operative sugar factories, the government should open government pulp units in Krishnagiri and procure mangoes at a reasonable price,” said KM Soundarajan, president of Krishnagiri Mango Growers Federation.

A strong syndicate among the pulp units is to be blamed for the low realisation of the mango price. “There is a syndicate among the 60 to 70 pulping units operating across the state, who fix a lower procurement price for mangoes. As mangoes are perishable, the farmers are left with no other option but to give away their produce at a throwaway price fixed by the pulp industry,” said Dr Balamohan, former dean, Horticulture, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

The issue should also be seen from a holistic perspective, as the government should encourage the setting up of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) to help farmers produce pulp on their own during a crisis and not rely only on the pulping units.

“The government should look out for permanent solutions by providing training to farmers in producing pulp by starting FPOs, and also invest in infrastructure. The farmers will gain an upper hand in price fixing if they consolidate and process a sizable volume of their produce,” he said.

Amidst a bumper harvest, the lowering demand for pulp is said to be a reason for the drastic drop in mango prices in the global market.

“There was huge stagnation of pulp made last year as soft drink manufacturers have reduced the concentration of natural pulp in their produce drastically and replaced it with artificial flavours. Currently, the pulp manufacturers are grappling with the issue of no fresh orders as juice factories have a carry-over stock for the next year. The stocked pulp, which has a shelf life of over two years, needs to be first sold out before resuming fresh production for this season,” said D Mathiazhagan, president of Krishnagiri District Fruits and Vegetables Processing Association. He is also the DMK MLA from Bargur constituency in Krishnagiri.

In Krishnagiri, almost 80 per cent of production is the Totapuri variety while the remaining is the Alphonso variety. There are around 25 pulp-making units in the district.

KM Rama Gounder, president of Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam, said that from around 75 pulp making units until a decade ago, only 13 odd units are now functional.

“Mango production too dropped drastically from an annual yield of up to seven lakh tonnes earlier to just around two lakh tonnes over the last few years. Many pulp-making units were closed due to high power charges, GST on mango pulp and increasing labour charges,” he said.

These units which used to run for three months every year in May, June and July have crippled their operation to just around 30 days claiming to witness a dip in demand for pulp. Farmers blamed the pulp manufacturers for creating a syndicate and fixing a lower procurement price for mangoes.

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