GUNTUR: Following huge losses in 2017 that saw chilli cultivation footprint coming down from four lakh hectares in 2017 to three lakh hectares in 2018 and to 2.54 lakh hectares this season, the chilli farmers are set to earn profits in 2019. The price of top quality red chilli varieties - Teja, Devanur Deluxe and Byadgi - has risen to Rs 11,000 per quintal from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 per quintal, due to increase in exports. This sudden spurt in prices has brought some relief for the chilli farmers.
Ch Koteswara Rao, Yellamanda Reddy and others who brought their Teja variety chillies from Gogulapadu village in Rompicherla mandal, said that the increase in price of their produce had given relief to them and they would be able to clear some amount of loan borrowed from local moneylenders at a high-interest rate.
They, however, said that the chilli yield decreased in the present season. Generally, they get 25 quintals of crop yield per acre every year. The crop yield per acre came down to 10 to 15 quintals this season. So the chilli prices had increased as there was less produce available in market, they said.M Sekhar, manager of a chilli exports company, said that at present there was good demand for the top quality red chilli varieties in the international market, especially in China and Gulf countries.
He said that the red chillies of Guntur always get good price in the international markets. Good orders for red chilli were coming from foreign countries this year, which increased the demand for top-quality varieties. Teja, Devanur Deluxe and Byadgi are top quality red chilli varieties, hence they are getting a good price ranging from Rs 9,200 to Rs 11,800 per quintal, he said.
Chilli trader Y Srinivasa Reddy said that the price had appreciated by over Rs 1,000 per quintal for varieties such as Super 10, 334, Nos 5, 341, 273, Teja, Devanur Deluxe, Byadgi and others.He said that the increase in demand and decrease in production in the State further augmented chilli prices and this time chilli growers were expecting good profits.
N Srinivas Rao, secretary of NTR Mirchi Yard, said that at present 60,000 tikkies (each tikki weighs 40 kg) of red chillies were coming to the chilli yard daily.He said that production of chilli in other States like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh had also registered decrease this season. Hence, the demand for red chillies is increasing day by day. He expected further increase of chilli price by over Rs 500 per quintal in the coming days.