RAMANATHAPURAM: Alleging that certain local traders were intentionally attempting to bring down the mundu chilli prices, farmers staged a road blockade on the Madurai-Ramanathapuram National Highway on Monday, disrupting traffic in the region for over an hour. The local traders have formed a "syndicate" to plummet chilli prices in the market, leaving us to endure massive losses, said the protesting farmers, who were later dispersed from the venue after police and agricultural officials assured necessary action.
One of the largest cultivated horticulture crop in the district, chilli crops cover over 15,000 hectares of land in Ramanathapuram, with samba and mundu being the widely cultivated varieties. Though mundu chilli had even received the GI tag recently, post-harvest loss and plummeting prices continue to remain one of the major issues troubling chilli farmers. Pressing these issues, the farmers staged a protest at Ettivayal in Uthirakosamangai on Monday afternoon, sources said.
"In spite of spending thousands of rupees on the cultivation, we are unable to get a good price for our mundu chillies. In the auction last week, the prices were close to Rs 2,700 for a bag of 10 kg chilli. However, on Monday, the price dropped to Rs 1,100 - 1,700 per bags. We have to spend around Rs 400 on workers for harvesting and transporting the chilli (10 kg) to the market, and another Rs 20 per bag for logistics and as commission for mediators. With dipping prices and such expenses, many of us are suffering heavy loss," complained the farmers.
Speaking to TNIE, MSK Bakkianathan, president of TN Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association, said that though the Ramanathapuram mundu had received the GI tag, farmers are still not able to get proper prices for their crops. "The government should fix a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for chilli so that farmers could be spared of the post-harvest loss. On an average, they have to spend Rs 50,000-60,000 per acre to get an average of five tonnes yield, but fluctuating prices leave them to bear the loss. Hence, government intervention is required to aid the farmers," he added.
Meanwhile, clarifying the allegations, a senior official from the Agriculture Marketing Department said that the chilli prices have improved when compared to that of the previous years. "Now, mundu chilli is priced at Rs 170-250 per kilogram. However, farmers have opted for open markets in Ettivayal, where the prices vary as per quality. Accordingly, the prices were quoted less on Monday, which led to the protest," the official said.
Furthermore, the official stated that the local traders have assured to offer better prices in the auction to be held on Tuesday, and advised farmers to opt for the regulated market, instead of the open market, where they could sell their products via the E-NAM facility and get better profits. They can also use the storage facilities to store their harvests, the official said.