SAMBALPUR: With a chilli processing plant being set up at Kulangjor village in Tainsar panchayat under the tribal dominated Kuchinda block, the famed red chillies of Kuchinda are likely to get their due place in the market.
The plant would not just help in value-addition but also increase marketibility of the distinct chilli variety, helping farmers earn better.
The plant, set up by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Kuchinda, along with a packaging unit, has capacity to produce 10 quintal chilli powder per month. It was set up with a budget of Rs 20 lakh and became functional this month though work on the plant had started nearly four months back.
At the plant, chilli produce will be processed into powdered form while whole dried chilli too will be packaged for marketing. Marketing of the produce will be done by Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS).
Deputy chief executive officer, ORMAS, Sambalpur, Srimanta Hota said the chilli produced here is of very high quality. But in absence of marketing facilities, growers usually resort to distress sale.
“While processing will add value to the chillies, we will help the farmers sell through proper marketing channel and earn good profits as well,” he said.
Around 218 SHG members of 10 producer groups and as many producer companies, who have grown chilli over around 182 acre in the block, have been pooled in to market their produce through ORMAS.
Hota said an output of around 1,063 quintal dry chilli is expected from the total area under cultivation. While a major quantity will be processed into powder, the rest will be directly packaged and sold.
“We are also in talks with a private chilli powder company for procurement of dry chilli from Kuchinda,” he added.
Until five years back, the price farmers got by selling their produce in open market ranged from Rs 100-300 per kg.
However, in 2017, the chilli growers incurred huge loss as the price of chilli dipped to Rs 40 a kilo that year. Adding to their woes were middlemen due to which many farmers opted out of the cultivation.
A processing plant has been a long-standing demand of chilli growers in the region. As per the retail prices, chilli powder can be sold at a price of up to Rs 400 per kg and whole chillies at Rs 300 a kg.
If the processing plant yields a good result this season, then its subsequent expansion would follow, sources said. The local red hot chilli variety is famous for its distinct flavour, thick skin and high pungency.