Chilli Farmers Move To Lucrative Cotton In AP:- The farmers in Andhra Pradesh have been forced to give up the cultivation of chillies and now they have moved in favor of the lucrative cotton. This is because of the disappointing prices of red chillies last season.
Around 65,347 hectares are sown with chilli usually, but only 45,256 hectares have been sown this year. In the coming days, this is expected to lead to a shortage of the world-famous Guntur red chillies. Based on the quality, the prices of chillies dipped down to Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500 per quintal last season. To assist chilli farmers, a bonus of Rs 1,500 per quintal has been announced by the state government. However, because of the disappointing prices, a majority of them still incurred massive losses and they decided to shift to the cultivation of cotton in the Kharif season.
Expecting good prices, the chilli growers have shifted to the cultivation of cotton this season.
Senior chilli farmer A. Subba Reddy who has shifted from chilli to cotton says that according to the variety, the prices of chilli are unstable in the range of Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000 per quintal, while the cotton is priced at Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 per quintal. He said that in the cultivation of one quintal of chilli, around Rs 4,000 is invested. So, there is no point in growing it and selling it at a loss. He further added that around Rs 4,320 per quintal has been set as the minimum support price for cotton by the government. This is another attractant for farmers, as it implies in exchange for their produce, they are guaranteed an income.
Chill trader S. Anjaneyulu said that the cause of a drop in the price of any crop is due to an imbalance in demand and supply. He said that the farmers switch to the cultivation of that crop in the next season, if a crop fetches good prices one season, leading to excess production and a drop in prices. He fears that there will be a dearth of red chillies and an excess of cotton available in the near future. The resultant drop in the cotton prices will spell trouble for former chilli farmers.
To control the area dedicated to the cultivation of each crop to maintain an optimum demand-supply ratio, Anjaneyulu and other traders asked the government.
SUPRAJA
