Tirupati: In a significant relief to mango pulp processing units, banks have agreed to extend the loan interest moratorium by six months. The decision came during a special District Consultative Committee (DCC) review meeting held virtually on Monday evening from the Collector’s chamber.

District Collector Dr S Venkateswar, Joint Collector Shubham Bansal, and key banking officials participated in the meeting, which aimed to address the financial difficulties faced by mango processing unit owners. The Collector noted that due to poor mango pulp sales over the past two years, many units have been left with large volumes of unsold stock. In an earlier meeting, industry representatives had requested an extension on interest payments to ease the financial burden.

Following discussions with the State’s Chief Secretary, who responded positively to the concerns, a directive was issued to convene a special DCC meeting to formally consider the request. During Monday’s session, banks expressed their support for the proposal and agreed to submit the resolution to the government for approval. Horticulture Department Officer Dasaratha Rami Reddy, Lead Bank Manager G Ravi Kumar, and other bank representatives also attended the meeting.