Chilli growers in Ballari district are hit by low yield and the crash in prices.
Ballari is among the districts where chilli is grown in vast patches, especially in the Tungabhadra Command areas in Ballari and Sirguppa taluks.
As the yield was good and market price lucrative, growers whose land was covered by irrigation preferred chillies, especially the famous Byadgi and Guntur variety.
They got around Rs. 12,000 a quintal for the Byadgi variety and Rs. 9,000 a quintal for the Guntur variety last season.
This time, chilli was cultivated on about 16,500 hectares. However, the growers are disappointed as the yield will not be as good as it was anticipated.
For, unseasonal rain, accompanied by gusty winds in September and October, damaged the crop which was in advanced stage of bearing fruits. The crash in the market price added to their woes.
“The growers are a worried lot. The cost of cultivation has gone up, with hike in the prices of seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides. The labour cost has gone up too. Also, the yield is low owing to unseasonal rain and the price has come down in the market,” Sunkappa, a grower in Yerrangali in Ballari taluk, told The Hindu .
The ban on the export of chilli was also said to be another reason for the crash in prices. Some of the prominent growers are trying to take advantage of the situation by procuring chilli and storing it in cold storages.
