GUNTUR: Chilli in large quantities arrived at the Guntur Mirchi Yard as trading resumed on Wednesday after four consecutive holidays.The officials of the mirchi yard were a bit surprised to see arrival of chilli in large quantities. Usually, such large-scale arrivals are witnessed in March but due to consecutive holidays, farmers came in large numbers to sell their produce.
At the same time, exports to Bangladesh, Columbia and other countries are moving at a snail’s pace due to Covid-19. Due to this, the chilli stocks are piling up in the yard. A total of 1,71,475 bags have piled up by last Thursday. On Tuesday, 1,68,055 bags arrived at the market yard. Of which, 1,35,967 bags were sold. On Wednesday, out of 1.5 lakh bags that arrived at the yard, nearly one lakh bags were sold.
With the market yard flooding with massive stocks of chilli, the authorities swung into action to manage the arrival of stocks. Large number of lorries and trucks with heavy load got stranded in traffic for a few hours on Wednesday.“The traffic jams are common in the months of April and May,” said a farmer from Prakasam district, who came to sell his produce.
An official of the yard said that at present, there are over three lakh bags of chilli piled up in the yard. “The market yard will have over four lakh bags of chilli on Thursday. As the market will remain shut for the weekend and with two more holidays coming up in the next week, farmers are in a hurry to sell their produce in the next two days,” he added.The prices of chilli varieties are as follows: Teja Rs 6,500-Rs 15,200 per quintal, Badiga Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 per quintal, 334 variety Deluxe Rs 12,500, 341 variety Deluxe Rs 14,500.
Chilli prices make farmers happy
Interestingly, chilli has reported record prices this season with almost all varieties fetching good returns for farmers
However, farmers expressed concern over lowering of prices by the traders, citing the huge availability of stocks in the yard
Meanwhile, exporters said the market is steady and might not go down so soon