Guntur : High price brings smile on mirchi farmers' faces

Guntur : Red chilli price shot up by 10 to 15 per cent due to increase of demand caused by reduction in chilli yield during this season.

Reduction of quality of red chilli yield led to increase of demand in the open market. As a result, the Teja variety of quality chilli which was sold at Rs13,000 per quintal in the last season, is now selling at Rs14,500 per quintal.

Similarly, the Badigi variety of red chilli price jumped to Rs14,200 per quintal from Rs13,000 per quintal of the last year. Devanuri Deluxe variety which was sold at Rs12,500 per quintal last year is now sold at Rs14,500 per quintal.

Similarly, 273 variety of red chilli price hiked to Rs14,200 per quintal from Rs13,000 during the corresponding period last year, 334 variety price jumped to Rs13,500 from Rs 12,000. If the traders will get export orders, the quality red chilli prices are expected to increase further in the days to come.

A farmer T Krishna of Sattenapalli said, "the chilli traders offered better price for quality red chilli as stocks are meagre in the market. Due to the last year cyclones in September and October, red chilli crop was damaged. As a result, the farmers got less and inferior quality of yield.

Subsequently, the demand for quality red chilli stocks increased. Generally, we get 20 quintals yield per acre. This year we got 12 quintals per acre. We got some relief due to increase of red chilli price," said a farmer.

An official in the Agriculture Marketing Department T Bhaskar Reddy said, "increase of demand for red chillies led to increase if the price of red chilli which benefited the farmers. Comparing to last year, during this season, the farmers got better price."