GUNTUR: Officials of the famous Guntur Mirchi Yard have declared summer holidays from Monday to June 6. Usually, the summer holidays start after May 15.Last year, the yard remained shut from April to June due to Covid-19 outbreak due to which most small-scale farmers who couldn’t afford the rent for cold storage suffered losses.
This year due to timely rains and sufficient irrigation water released from Nagarjuna Sagar’s Left Canal, the yield was bountiful. Mirchi (red chilli) stocks started flooding the yard since March first week.
In April due to consecutive holidays, the stocks piled up as never before causing a drop in prices of mirchi varieties. As a few Covid-19 positive cases were reported, the yard was closed for five days to clear the stocks and also sanitise it.
Currently, 40,000 bags of mirchi remaining in the yard have been shifted out on Sunday. The costs of varieties of mirchi are as follows: Teja and Baduga varieties of red chilli are trading between Rs 7,000 to Rs 14,500 per quintal, while mirchi Nos. 5, 273, 334, 341, 4884, Super 10 varieties are priced between Rs 7,000 to Rs 14,000 per quintal.
On April 29, the yard officials on the request of workers’ and merchants’ associations declared summer holidays due to scorching heat and increase in Covid-19 positive cases. To facilitate the farmers, the officials issued norms to enrol their details in eNAM App to sell their produce amid Covid-19 norms. The farmers can enrol by sending their details to the allotted supervisor and data entry operator and IDs will be sent to their mobile phone. This will allow them to sell their produce at godowns outside the yard.
Raju, a farmer said, “I couldn’t sell my harvest till now as I didn’t expect that summer holidays will be declared earlier. By now most cold storages and godowns would have been booked. I’ve to store my produce in Sattenapalli. Transportation costs will add to my burden.”