Chilli farmers in Khammam stare at poor harvests as pests infest crop

Chilli crop in a large extent of area in the district has been affected by ‘nalla tamara’ (black thrips). According to horticulture officials and scientists, the pest infestation would result in loss in yield due to curling of leaves, flowers falling off and malformed/stunted fruits or premature fruit drop

Khammam: Chilli farmers in Khammam district are staring at the bleak prospect of poor harvests this year in view of pest attacks.

Chilli crop in a large extent of area in the district has been affected by ‘nalla tamara’ (black thrips). According to horticulture officials and scientists, the pest infestation would result in loss in yield due to curling of leaves, flowers falling off and malformed/stunted fruits or premature fruit drop.

---

Though the crop is affected by other pests the incidence of black thrips is high.

The farmers who are already affected by fall in prices offered to the produce have been worrying over the loss in yield. Several farmers are complaining that despite the spraying of pesticides repeatedly the pest infestation is not being controlled.

Those owing the lands as well as tenant farmers are now in a distressed state as they fear that they might not be able to recover even the investment made in the crop. Lack of Rythu Bandhu support has made things even worse for the farmers.

A tenant farmer B Satyanarana of Wyra lamented that he pawned gold to take up chilli crop in acres of area. In the first picking about 50 percent red chilli was damaged in addition to a fall in the yield.

Speaking to Telangana Today, district horticulture officer MV Madhusudhan informed that the chilli crop was in good condition until November, 2024. After the picking of cotton was over the pests started affecting the chilli crop. Usually black thrips infest the crop before the harvest season begins but this time the crop was affected a month later and it lessened overall impact on the crop, he explained.

Chilli was taken up in about 60, 000 acres in Khammam district and of that the standing crop in about 40 to 50 of the total area has been affected by the pests. Scientists and the horticulture department have given advice to the farmers on how to protect the crop from pests.

Scientists from Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) Hyderabad, Raja Goud and Nagaraju have recently visited Madhira, Chintakani and Tirumalayapalem area in the district to take stock of the situation and to submit a report to the department, he informed.