The plummeting prices of red chilli at Asia’s largest chilli yard is causing anxiety to farmers. With most districts reeling under successive droughts, farmers have been bearing the brunt of nature’s fury as well as unfavourable market conditions.
The model prices of most varieties of chilli, with the exception of a few premium varieties, have recorded the steepest fall in recent years.
The Teja variety, considered a premium variety, recorded a price of ₹ 7,700 per quintal compared to the price of ₹ 11,500 per quintal in 2016. The 273 variety is being sold at ₹ 6,000 per quintal when compared to ₹ 12,300 last year, while 334 variety fetched a price of ₹ 5,800 per quintal when compared to ₹ 11,900 last year. Even the premium variety of Badiga Chilli, has been fetching ₹ 6,800 per quintal when compared to ₹ 12,200 last year.
‘No other option’
For most farmers who have come from neighbouring districts, the season so far has been far from encouraging. “I have sold 25 bags of Teja variety for just ₹ 7,800 per quintal as against ₹ 12,000 last year. Though the low price is causing huge loss for me, I have no other option. I have spent more money on labour hoping for better price,” said Kotla Venkat Reddy, a farmer from Jupudi village in Prakasam district. The AMC (Agriculture Market Committee), however, says the steep fall in prices was due to a record harvest and export of chilli to Asian countries from Pakistan. “The crop acreage of chilli has increased by 25 per cent in the State and the arrivals have increased by 25 per cent. While there is demand for high quality chilli, there is a fall in model prices of medium and low quality chilli,” said committee secretary M. Divakara Reddy.
