GUNTUR: In view of the coronavirus positive cases detected in the district, Guntur collector I Samuel Anand Kumar has recently extended the shutdown of the Guntur Mirchi Yard till April end. Famous for exporting chilli, the yard, Asia’s biggest, is a source of livelihood for 30 exporters, 1,000 commission agents, 5,000 workers and 5,000 farmers.
Ever since its closure in March, all commission agents and farmers, who came to the yard from as far as Telangana, were rendered jobless, state agricultural market commission agents association secretary P Suresh Reddy said. “Before the lockdown, more than 5,000 farmers from both the Telugu states brought their produce to the yard every day.”
All India Exports Association president V Sambasiva Rao said there was a 50 per cent decline in export order due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “As the chilli yard is closed, we are forced to buy red chilli from cold storage. As against the monthly business worth `400-`500 crore with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China and others in 2019, the worth of monthly export order has reduced to `200 crore,” he explained and requested the government to let the chilli yard function with all precautionary measures as the present period was the peak for the red chilli trade.
Yard secretary M Venkateswara Reddy said the premises would remain closed as per the directions of the collector. “The exporters buy `3 crore worth stock from cold storage daily. On Thursday, they bought 40 lakh bags of chilli online,” he added. Meanwhile, ministers Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao and Kurasala Kannababu had said chilli farmers need not worry as they could still sell their produce in the market yards at Durgi, Piduguralla, Krosuru and Nadikudi by following social distancing norms. As many as 58 cases of coronavirus were detected in Guntur district till Friday evening. The district is second only to Kurnool (77) in the state in Covid-19 cases.