RAMANATHAPURAM: Post harvest loss has once again taken a major toll on farmers in Ramanathapuram, with the prices of dried chillies coming down by 60% to 70% in the domestic market in the district due to fungal disease.
Exporters said chilli cultivation has declined by 50%, thereby affecting chilli exports from the district to international and domestic markets.
Ramanathapuram mundu and samba chilli crop varieties are cultivated in about 11,000 hectares in Ramanathapuram. Notably, after the December rainfall about 9,000 hectares got inundated and damaged, following which farmers have replanted new saplings in January to continue the season, which later got affected by fungal disease in March.
Though the horticulture department said that over 1,000 hectares was affected by fungal disease, the effects have led to major post-harvest loss in Ramanathapuram.
R Ramanujam, a traditional mundu chilli farmer from Mudukulathur said, "Normally, chilli prices would be above Rs 2,500 to Rs 2,700 per 10 kg and mundu chilli price would be above Rs 2,500 per 10 kg. But this week even first quality mundu chilli prices have come down to Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 per 10 kg. Samba chillies are sold at Rs 500 per 10 kg in the domestic market.
Adding up the cultivation cost and logistics, the declining prices are affecting farmers."
He added that usually farmers harvest nearly Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,400 kg per acre, but this year farmers could barely harvest 100 kg due to the humid condition and fungal diseases. "Despite spending nearly Rs 1 lakh per acre for chilli cultivation, the drop in prices have greatly affected us. Considering our financial situation, we had to sell the harvest at lower prices to meet ends," Ramanugam added.
Also speaking, M Ramar, an organic chilli farmer and exporter from Korampallam village in Kamudhi, said, “Though we have several domestic and international orders from US, the issues have greatly affected the harvest. More than 50% of the exports from Ramanathapuram have faced decline. With available old stocks we have catered to a portion of the demand."
MSK Bakkianathan, president of TN Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association, urged action towards providing compensation for crop loss and for the fungal disease that hit chilli farmers to save farmers from post-harvest loss.
A senior official in the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business in Ramanathapuram said that the first-grade chilli can be sold for up to Rs 220 per kg through farmgate platform and the regulated market in Ettivayal. A sample has been sent to Chennai for selling chillies through farmgate. The officials also suggested to the farmers to grade chillies separately and fetch a good price. They also offered farmers to use storage facility and pledge loans.