Guntur: Farmers in quandary as Mirchi Yard shuttered

Guntur: The chilli farmers suffered heavy loss following the closure of Asia's biggest mirchi yard and restrictions imposed on transport. They are not in a position to shift red chilli stocks from the farms to the cold storage units as workers are not allowed into villages to load the produce onto tractors or lorries owing to lockdown. The police closed the entry into villages with barricades.

The farmers are worried as there was no space in cold storage units in the district to keep the red chilli stocks. After the district administration declared holidays to the mirchi yard till the end of April, the red chilli trading activity has come to a grinding halt.

Moreover, the traders who purchased chilli also kept their stocks in cold storage units. Though the farmers could find place in the cold storage units, it is difficult for them to shift the red chilli stocks. In addition, the farmers from Prakasam district also keep the red chilli stocks in the cold storage units in Guntur district to sell stock in the mirchi yard.

According to the horticulture department officials, the farmers cultivated red chillis in 1.75 lakh acres in the district with 1.15 lakh acres in the Palnadu region alone in the Guntur district.

The farmers are demanding sanction Rs 6,000 loan per quintal against red chilli stocks in the cold storage units immediately to meet their expenses.

Speaking to The Hans India, Guntur Mirchi Yard secretary M Venkateswara Reddy said, "In the 87 cold storage units in the district, the farmers could keep 78 lakh tikkis of chilli stock in the cold storage units. So far they kept 66 lakh tikkis (chilli bags) in the cold storage units. They may keep 12 lakh more tikkis. The exporters are purchasing export variety Teja, 341 variety at cold storage units. However, the banks are not sanctioning loans against stocks kept in the cold storage units to the farmers. The problem of the farmers has already been taken up with the higher officials."