Warangal: Chilli farmers accuse traders of forming cartel to trim prices

The red chilli farmers who arrive at Enumamula market yard with their products are disappointed as the price offered by the traders are much less than the market price.

Warangal: Chilli farmers are agitated as the price of chilli has come down by half this year. Enumamula agriculture market yard witnessed a drop ranging from Rs 4000 to Rs 8,000 per quintal, even for premium qualities like Teja chilli.

On Monday, Teja chilli was priced at Rs. 17,700 per quintal, Wonder Hot variety Rs 15,000, Deepika Rs. 15,000, Chapata chilli Rs. 25,000, 5531 variety Rs 11,000, 341 variety Rs 15,500 and Single Patti chilli was priced at Rs. 40,000 per quintal at the Enumamula market. However, the traders were offering less price for almost all the varieties.

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According to farmers, this year the popular Teja variety has been priced at Rs. 17,700 per quintal, but the traders in the Enumamula market are offering between Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 per quintal causing huge loss to the farmers. They claimed that till April first week traders offered Rs. 16,000 to Rs.18,000 per quintal for Teja chilli, but since last one week they were offering between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 per quintal.

Similarly, Chapata chilli, which was being sold between Rs. 37,000 to Rs. 40,000 per quintal in March has come down to Rs. 25,000 per quintal. The Chapata variety, which is mostly grown in Narsampet, Mahabubabad and Bhupalpally areas, has great demand both in the domestic and overseas market. However, this year the fall in its prices has disappointed the farmers.

The red chilli farmers who arrive at Enumamula market yard with their products are disappointed as the price offered by the traders are much less than the market price. As there is no other alternative, the farmers are resorting to distress sale. The farmers claimed that the traders have formed a cartel to trim prices, taking advantage of farmers’ rush to sell their stocks.

The farmers alleged that the traders in connivance with the officials dropped the procurement prices to a discouraging low. They demanded the government to ensure a remunerative price for their produce.

However, Enumamula market yard officials claim that the prices for chillies were being offered as per the quality and norms set by the government. “If we come across any kind of complaint with regard to prices of chillies, we will definitely look into it and resolve the issue. We will convince the traders to pay remunerative prices to the farmers,” Enumamula market secretary K Sangaiah said.