Farmers stage dharna over falling chilli prices

Khammam: Farmers staged a massive dharna in front of the Khammam Collectorate on Monday, demanding urgent intervention from the state and central governments to address the plummeting prices of chilli. The protest, led by all-party farmer associations, called for the inclusion of chilli in the food crop list, the establishment of a Chilli Board in Khammam, and a support price of Rs 25,000 per quintal.

During a meeting chaired by Bonthu Rambabu and Kondaparthi Govinda Rao, Telangana Farmers Association State Presidents Pothineni Sudarshan and Bhags Hemantha Rao, along with Legislative Council Member Tata Madhu, said that Telangana leads the country in chilli cultivation, yet farmers are suffering huge losses due to unstable market prices.

They highlighted that two lakh acres in Khammam district are under chilli cultivation, making it a significant agricultural hub.

They demanded that the state and central governments jointly procure chilli through NAFED and Markfed to ensure price stability.

Expressing deep concern, they revealed that four farmers have already died by suicide due to financial distress and urged the government to take immediate measures to prevent further farmer suicides. They also criticised the government for imposing 18% GST on pesticides and 5% GST on fertilizers, while failing to support struggling farmers. The protestors stressed that the government has benefited from foreign exchange through chilli exports but has neglected the very farmers responsible for this success.

They vowed to intensify the farmers’ movement beyond political lines until their demands are met. Former MLAs Kondabala Koteswara Rao, Banothu Chandravathi, former Zilla Parishad Chairman Lingala Kamal Raju, Telangana Farmers’ Association State Committee members Nunna Nageswara Rao, and others participated in the event.