The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Guntur chilli no longer hot

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 24, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Guntur chilli no longer hot

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR, FEB. 23. The bumper crop in Badige in Karnataka and Indore in Madhya Pradesh has led to sharp fall in the number of orders for Guntur chillies from northern States like Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and Kerala in the south.

This has resulted in steep fall in the price at the Asia's largest chillies market here. The arrivals at the Agriculture Market Yard here have been hovering around 70,000 tikkis (a bag of 40 kg.) a day, same as last season at this time of the year.

The failure of crop in China last year had brought good demand for the `334' variety with the produce commanding Rs.3,400 per quintal compared to Rs.2,300 now. On Wednesday, the model price (price at which majority of the deals were struck) in the market yard here was Rs.2,000 per quintal.

Stockists keep off

The Agriculture Market Yard Secretary, M. Sivaramaiah, said that 55 per cent of the deals were below Rs.2,000 per quintal and 45 per cent above that price. The low price has been attributed to lack of presence of large players (stockists). At this time of the year, the stockists usually buy chillies in large quantities and store them in cold storages keeping the price remunerative for farmers, but that is not so this season he added.

While the price commanded by different varieties of chillies varied from Rs.1,400 to Rs.2,400 per quintal, on Wednesday, on the same day last year, all of them were bought at Rs.1,000 per quintal more than today's rates. The prices at which high-quality verities were sold tell the tale: Devanur Delux Rs.4,400 per quintal (Rs.2,200 now); Wondor Hot Rs.4,000 (Rs.2,400); Badige Rs.7,000 (Rs.2,200).

Market price

The common verity `273' was bought at Rs.3,000 per quintal (Rs.2,100 now); Guntur Sannalu Rs.2,700 (Rs.1,900 to Rs.2,300); Endo No.5 Rs.3,000 (Rs.2,000) and Teja Rs.3,400 (Rs.2,400).

The total arrivals at the market yard here were 1.06 crore tikkis last year and the Andhra Pradesh Markefed in association with the NAFED had purchased another 5 lakh tikkis at Rs.2,700 per quintal. The price in the market remained closer to Rs.2,300 in the open market. The arrivals this year were expected to be about 80 lakh tikkis at the Guntur Agriculture Market Yard.

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