Searing summer heat is affecting trading that has resumed at Asia’s largest chilli yard here on a sedate note.
With the traders, hamalies, and farmers staying indoors, trading is being done in two phases – 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
With the government issuing a direction that the chilli yard should be open even during summer vacation, the district administration has swung into action.
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Collector Kona Sasidhar said that trading could be done at staggered timings. Additional Joint Collector Munga Venkateswara Rao was asked to supervise the auctions.
Facilities to enable the farmers and hamalies to take rest have been created on the yard premises. AMC chairman Mannava Subba Rao has said that 2.41 lakh bags of chilli have been traded so far this week.
But with the arrivals touching 50,000 bags every day, the AMC is doing its bit to facilitate trading. Meanwhile, the government’s price support scheme is beginning to yield results.
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According to Mr. Subba Rao, 3,775 farmers have been benefited from the scheme so far and ₹8.68 crore has been credited into their accounts.
On Thursday, Minister for Civil Supplies Prathipati Pulla Rao and Minister for Social Welfare Nakka Ananda Babu visited the yard premises and interacted with the farmers.
Dig at Jagan
Mr. Pulla Rao said that Opposition leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had no locus standi to speak on the plight of the chilli farmers as the government had come to their rescue by announcing the price support scheme.
The government had announced ₹1,500 per quintal in an attempt to give some relief to the farmers.