GADAG, 3 JULY

Farmers in the Gadag district are facing significant losses as red chillies, stored for three months in hopes of better market prices, have deteriorated in quality. Farmers also said that most of the red chillies have turned black. This predicament has left the farmers of Belavaniki, Yaugal, and Kaujageri villages in Rona Taluk in a state of confusion and financial distress.

Initially, the price of red chillies was a promising Rs 45,000 per quintal before the harvest. However, the market price has since plummeted to a mere Rs 8,500 to Ra 10,000 per quintal, leaving farmers unable to sell their produce at a profitable rate.

Gadag district horticulture department Deputy Director Shashikanth Kattimani said, “Chilli cultivation expanded in Andhra Pradesh, and Yadgiri, Raichur, and Haveri districts in Karnataka. Therefore, the supply has gone up but demand has gone down. This is one of the main reasons behind the fall of the price.” Kattimani said that in many districts particularly in Andhra Pradesh farmers grow chillies after green gram cultivation failed due to drought.

A farmer Bheemappa Naika from Mundargi told Salar News, “We have to pay a rent of Rs 30 per bag chilli per month to cold storage owner. I kept 25 bags with an expectation of a better price. When I tried to sell it in February the price was just Rs 12,000 per Quintol. I paid a total of Rs 3,750 for 5 months to store the chillies. He urged the government to announce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for chilly.

In January of this year, the Jawari variety was fetching Rs 35,000 per quintal in Rona Taluk. As prices began to decline, farmers opted to store their crops at home, hoping for a market rebound. But, their patience has not paid off.

The deterioration of the stored chillies, compounded by the significant drop in market prices, has placed farmers in a difficult position. -Salar News