Expressing concern that the situation of chilli farmers is in a desperate situation, former agriculture minister and TDP MLA Prathipati Pulla Rao has demanded the Center to set up a Chilli Board on the lines of Tobacco Board.
He said that Chilli farmers are deeply worried over falling prices, in this context he made it clear that the Centre is responsible for protecting the main commercial crop growers. He said that the Central Government should take the initiative to change the situation of chilli farmers so that they can achieve high yields with less investment.
He said that there is a need to check the magic of traders and market fluctuations through special laws. He said that the coalition government has taken action on the fall in chilli prices in the state. He explained that CM Chandrababu Naidu has already issued orders to the top officials of the Agriculture and Marketing Department to immediately support chilli farmers.
Farmers are cultivating chilli crops only in some districts of Andhra Pradesh. However, in the process of selling the chilli crop, farmers are being cheated by middlemen. Due to the fluctuations in prices in the market, they do not receive the cash corresponding to the cost of the crop, he added.
Due to this, Pulla Rao said that even though chilli is a commercial crop, they do not receive the cash corresponding to it. As a result, chilli farmers are falling into a slump.
Moreover, he recalled that the centre has recently set up a turmeric board in Telangana. It is known that the demand for setting up a Chilli Board in a similar manner in Guntur or a district where chilli is grown extensively has been heard mainly for some time now. Guntur district is known for chillies crop in the world like tobacco and it is being exported also.
