GUNTUR: After two weeks of shutdown, Asia’s biggest chilli yard in Guntur resumed trading on Friday as per the instructions of the district collector.
Even as officials are hoping that business will pick up pace from Monday, most traders have been operating from cold storages after a few workers at the yard tested positive for coronavirus.
On Sunday, more than 80 traders, 120 commission agents and hundreds of farmers were present at the yard, where red chilli was traded after officials ensured that all safety measures were in place.
The farmers have brought over 90 kg of red chilli in the last two days.
Yard secretary M Venkateswara Reddy said, “Trading may pick up pace in August. More than 20,000 tikkies of red chilli are coming to the yard every day.”
G Venkataih, a farmer from Kavuru near Chilakaluripet, said it is easier to do business from the cold storages. “Even traders prefer to buy chilli from the cold storages if the market yard is closed,” he said.