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The price of Byadgi red chillies in Karnataka is now more than twice what it was a year ago on fears that the crop will be lower.
The chilli crop this year has been affected by excess rains. The new Bydagi crop is largely grown in Karnataka and is famous for its lower pungency besides high colour content.
At the Byadgi market, a quintal of Dabbi variety is currently trading at a modal price (the rate at which most trades take place) of ₹24,529 versus ₹12,500 a year ago.
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The maximum price for the variety was ₹56,199 per quintal last week compared with ₹21,000 in the same period last year, while the minimum price has nearly doubled to ₹3,009 (₹1,569) this year.
Other variety price
Similarly, the modal price of the Byadgi kaddi variety last week was ₹22,899 (₹9,299 in the same period last year), while the maximum price for the top quality was ₹47,569 (₹19,269). Prices of the Guntur variety have more than doubled this year in the Byadgi market, as per official data.
The modal price of the Guntur variety was ₹9,009 on November 17 in the Byadgi market, while it was ₹3,469 a year ago. The maximum price fetched by the Guntur variety is ₹19,609 (₹10,500) in the Byadgi market.
Trade sources said the market arrivals of the new crop are slower than the last year. This is even as the crop was impacted by the excess and prolonged monsoons at various stages of the crop cycle across the State.
Water-logging
The crop was affected in the key growing regions around Kundagol and Annigeri due to water logging on account of excess rains, thereby hurting the quality of the produce.
“We are expecting good quality produce to come into the markets in the coming weeks,” said Basavraj Hampali of Hampali Traders in Hubballi. In the Hubballi market, good quality Byadgi chillies are traded higher at between ₹38,000 and ₹48,000 per quintal.
In Bellary, where the chilli is grown on irrigated lands, the crop condition is good this year compared to last year, when it was impacted by the disease. Similarly, the crop in the Raichur region is also good, Hampali said.
In many chilli-growing regions of North Karnataka, the crop is in the ripening stage where the chilli turns red on the plant from green. The ripened red chillies are harvested and sun-dried before being sent to the market.
Unseasonal rains not expected anymore
“There should not be any unseasonal rains going forward, especially in the rainfed regions of North Karnataka like Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and Bagalkot districts,” Hampali said. He expects the share of quality produce of dry chillies to be higher this year compared to last year.
Besides a lower crop, the depleted stock levels in the cold storages is supporting the prices. The cold storage capacity in the State is around 55 lakh bags of 30 kg each. “Cold stored chilli bags are likely to be around 5 lakh bags at the start of this season as compared to 20 lakh bags last year,” he said.
According to the Spices Board data, India’s dry chilli exports were 5.57 lakh tonnes valued at ₹8,581.88 crore in 2021-22.
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