With chilli prices falling to ₹1,000 a quintal in some markets, farmers have appealed to the Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Union Governments to come to their rescue. These two States, which contribute about 55 per cent of the country’s total chilli production, are witnessing an unprecedented fall in prices, pushing the farmers to the edge.

“From over ₹12,000 a quintal last year, the price has come down to ₹3,000 and even to ₹1,000 in some markets. This is not at all viable. If ₹12,000 is not possible, they should at least offer ₹5,000-6,000. The government must step in to provide succour to us,” said Venkat Reddy, a farmer from Warangal, representing the Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA).

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said the association submitted memoranda to Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Telangana Agriculture Minister P Srinivasa Reddy and his AP counterpart S Chandramohan Reddy.

The federation demanded a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹75 a kilogram and creation of cold storage facilities to help farmers store the produce for a better price. It demanded integration of overall chilli planning and real-time information dissemination to the farmers on demand and supply.

Though the prices of chilli ruled very high last year in the two States, they fell below the average price of ₹5,000-₹6,000. The cost of production for chilli is very high at ₹1.50 lakh per acre. Andhra Pradesh has announced financial help to the farmers. The Telangana Government, however, has not come out with such offer.

“We need 100 more cold storages with a capacity of 3,000 tonnes each to meet the demand,” said Ch Thirupathi Reddy, a farmer from Gudepally.

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