Farmers seek more support to improve chillies quality

A joint initiative of farmers, exporters, the Spices Board, the Department of Agriculture and agricultural universities is needed to open a new platform and chalk out action plans related to improvement and enhancement of the quality of spices, especially of chillies in Andhra Pradesh, Dr A. Jayathilak, Chairman, Spices Board, said.

Inaugurating the Sugandha Sangamam at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, an initiative to make development of chillies sustainable, he assured that every possible step would be taken to improve the quality of spices produced in Andhra Pradesh and ensure better prices to the farmers. The event was organised by the Spices Board in association with the World Spice Organisation.

Supply Chain

The programme was aimed at strengthening the supply chain from the farm level to the exporters and was organised against the backdrop of falling quality of chillies, a major source of foreign revenue for the country. Global demand for chillies has increased and the need to consolidate and maintain India's position as a world leader in this sector is gaining importance.

Towards this end, the board will complete the construction of the Spices Park in Guntur soon and also make functioning of the quality lab more effective for the benefit of the farmers. Over 350 chilli farmers from 35 mandals in Guntur and Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh came to the event.

Farmers who attended the meeting expressed their desire for more supportive programmes from the board in providing alternative mechanisms for hygienic drying of chillies while demanding black silpaulin and tarpaulin sheets. They also demanded supply of IPM (integrated pest management) kits before the sowing season began.

Farmers' demands

They wanted supply of solar driers and solar poly-houses for drying chillies, programmes for drip irrigation and supply of plant-protection equipment like Taiwan sprayers. There was demand to extend the ongoing schemes for chilli farmers to Krishna district also.

Excellence of Indian chillies, involving every segment of the industry, was one of the objectives of Sugandha Sangamam . The event will highlight the importance of food safety and traceability — apart from parameters like quantity, quality and price — to make the sector internationally competent. Once prices stabilise, there will be chance for bringing more area under cultivation, thus, strengthening the chilli-farming sector. So there is also an issue of sustainability and a need for a holistic approach to the marketing of spices domestically and internationally.

The meeting was presided over by Dr P. Srinivasalu, Director of Research, Dr YSR Horticulture University, and was addressed by Dr K. Sankar Reddy, Associate Director of Research, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricutural University, Lam, Guntur. Dr Ramesh Bhatt, an international consultant on sustainability, also spoke.

> cj@thehindu.co.in

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