A majority of tenant farmers in Prakasam district had opted for cultivation of chilli in a big way during both the Kharif and Rabi seasons this year, enthused by the high prices that the crop had fetched in the Guntur market earlier.
However, their hopes were soon to be dashed as heavy rains induced by Cyclone Nivar lashed the region, submerging fields in large swathes of the district.
“The crop condition had been excellent till rains induced by Nivar submerged the crop in large tracts of land,” lamented a group of farmers at the remote village of Koadavalivaripalem, near Karamchedu. But for a brief period when they could not market their produce because of the lockdown, the ‘red gold’ fetched a remunerative price of ₹15,000 per quintal, explained a 48-year-old farmer Kodavali Dharma Rao, who had grown the spice crop in 10 acres.
Even during the lockdown, traders came to farmers’ homes and picked up whatever stocks they had stored, paying a premium price for the produce, he recalled in a conversation with The Hindu.
With the chilli prices going northwards, each and every farmer in the region went for the spice crop on an average patch of 10 acres of land thanks to bountiful rains during Khariff season. “Now, we are ruing our fate as the rains have put paid to our hopes of reaping a good harvest,” said another middle-aged farmer P. Dilip Kumar, who had raised the crop in 15 acres with great expectations.
“Unlike in some other areas, the crop did not suffer any pest attack in our village. But the rains under the influence of the cyclonic storm shattered all their hopes,” said Thota Vamsi Krishna (30) while trying his best to drain water from his field.
On an average, each farmer had spent close to ₹90,000 per acre so far for cultivation of the spice crop. “We are unsure whether we will be able to at least break even,” said another farmer K. Sambasiva Rao, urging the government to complete the crop loss enumeration speedily and provide them liberal compensation.
Farmers in the drought-prone district had raised chilli in over 25,000 hectares during Khariff and in another 10,000 hectares during Rabi, according to Horticulture department sources.
The spice crop raised during Khariff had suffered severe damage in over 40% of the cropped area. Farmers who had grown the crop during early Rabi would have to go for replantation in at least 3,000 hectares, they said.
