Centre urged to solve chilli export crisis

Narasaraopet: Narasaraopet MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu met Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Tuesday and submitted representations seeking immediate intervention in two key issues affecting farmers, exporters and the manufacturing sector in AP. He brought to the minister’s attention the problems faced by chilli exporters, particularly those from Palnadu district. He explained that more than 150 containers carrying Indian red chilli consignments had been stranded in Sri Lanka since August 2026 due to disputes over permissible moisture content standards.

Prolonged detention and rejection of consignments have affected the quality of the produce, causing substantial financial losses to exporters. He urged the Union Minister to initiate discussions with the Sri Lankan government to ensure the immediate release of the stranded consignments.

He sought simplified testing procedures for chilli being re-imported into India and an agreement between the two countries to recognise quality.

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The Hans India