KCR Govt held responsible for fall in chilli prices

​Khammam: The State government is responsible for the drastic fall in chilli prices in the State, alleged CPM State Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram.

Tammineni along with party leaders visited Khammam Agriculture Market here on Tuesday and interacted with the chilli farmers.

Magthya, a distressed farmer from Gaddikunta Thanda of Raghunathapalem mandal, informed that last year he sold the produce for Rs 12,000 per quintal and expecting the same, he has cultivated chillies in three acres of his land this year. However, to his disappoint, the price of chillies has fallen drastically to Rs 5,000.

Another farmer Upendar from Palvoncha, who brought 60 bags of chillies, said that he invested Rs 25,000 for one acre of land to grow chillies. But he was unable to sell his produce which is ranging in between Rs 4,500 to 5,000 per quintal.

Speaking on the occasion, Tammineni alleged that the drastic fall in chilli prices was not because of increase in production or because of low price in International market, but because of the State government and the methods it was adopting.

No state in the country except Telanagana was offering such low price to the chillies, he alleged. Stating that the middlemen and traders along with the officials were trying to deceive innocent chilli growers by not allowing them to store their produce in cold storages, the CPM leader criticised that instead of supporting farmers, the ruling party leaders were behaving negligently. Despite suicides by chilli farmers, the government is in no mood to console their family members, he lamented.