The very mention of Ramanathapuram might trigger thoughts of a parched landscape and water-starved parcels of land. However, it would be a surprise to many to hear that over 1.7 lakh hectares across the district are used to cultivate agriculture and horticulture crops every year. Apart from foodgrains, Ramanathapuram is very popular for chilli cultivation, and the district has its own varieties called ‘Ramanathapuram mundu’ and ‘samba’.The samba chilli, which is very popular in the region, also has lot of demand on the global market. The mundu variety, which is very popular domestically, recently received GI tag and is likely to see a surge in exports.Despite water not being available in plenty in the district, farmers manage to raise thousands of tonnes of chilli every year.
Every year, these two varieties are raised on 15,000 hectares in the district. The Ramanathapuram mundu is well known for its spiciness – it has a pungency (capsaicin content) rate of 17,500 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), making it one among the spiciest of chillies with a history of over 200 years.MSK Bakkianathan, president of TN Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association, says, “Though Guntur is referred to as the ‘chilli city’ of India, decades ago Ramanathapuram was the major hub for chillies. In olden days, over a lakh hectares was reportedly used for chilli cultivation.
Over the past few years, the government has been taking steps to convert fallow land into chilli fields, which has brought much cheer to cultivators.”Talking to TNIE, secretary of the marketing committee of the agriculture business department Raja says, “On an average, 10,000 tonnes of chill, mostly mundu variety, are cultivated annually in Ramanathapuram. The state government has initiated a special chilli complex with a 2,000-tonne cold storage facility at Ettivayal village where processing and selling is done. A ‘chilli zone’ comprising Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga and Thoothukudi districts has been initiated to increase the crop coverage.
”V Ramar, a chilli farmer cum exporter from Korampallam, says, “Wherever Tamils live, irrespective of the part of the world, there is demand for the Ramanathapuram chilli. I exported 80 tonnes of samba and mundu varieties to Europe and the United States last year. With mundu getting GI Tag, its demand has gone up and I recently exported 12 tonnes of the variety. Over 500 tones of chilli were exported last year from Kamudhi block alone. Thanks to the tag, the price of mundu has increased and come on a par with samba variety at Rs 200 a kg.”With the demand for organic crops rising on the global market, farmers would immensely benefit if the state government initiated a new scheme to promote organic cultivation of chillies.
Vellimalar of Farmers Producer Organisation, says, “Last year, we exported nearly 500 tonnes of chilli and 100 tonnes of stemless chilli to domestic and international markets. Apart from farmers, these crops provide employment to several farm workers and those engaged in processing work. More AC storage facilities should established in the district and farmers should be informed more about such facilities. This will help reduce the post harvest losses.”