Hubballi: After sugarcane, farmers have now begun to destroy green chilli crop in Haveri district. Fed up with the sudden fall in the prices of chilli, they are bulldozing their crops as they cannot even recover the cost of harvesting and transportation.
The prices have dropped as the demand for the crop has gone down in various parts of Maharashtra, which is flooded with the local crop. Farmers in the region are criticising the government for not coming out with a rescue plan, despite having the Spice Board in the district. Farmer leaders allege that the board has failed to guide the distressed farmers.
Haveri district is known for its high-quality chilli crop and exports it in large quantities to Arab countries. The sector has been earning good foreign exchange over the last few decades.
The farmers sold chilli at Rs 4,000 per quintal till last year. They also earned good revenues last year from selling the crop in Mumbai and Nagpur belts, as heavy rains had destroyed local crops.
But this year, the price of chilli has come down to Rs 800 per quintal as the local produce in Maharashtra is flooding the market in the neighbouring state.
“I spent Rs 20,000 per acre to grow chilli in eight acres. I destroyed the crop as I cannot even bear the cost of harvesting if I sell it. I have to pay at least Rs 150 per labourer per day to harvest this labour-intensive crop. I am planning to grow other crops now,” said farmer Suresh Mannur from Agadi village in Haveri taluk.
But wholesale chilli merchant Somalingappa Banakar claimed that farmers are not harvesting the crop properly. “The leaves are not removed and chilli is not cleaned properly. That is because the farmers are disheartened by the considerable fall in prices. This has also contributed to the fall in demand for our produce,” he said.
Three more farmers end lives
Three debt-ridden farmers committed suicide in Bagalkot, Chitradurga and Kolar districts on Monday. 35-year-old Rudrappa Akkadakal committed suicide in Gonal village of Badami taluk in Bagalkot district on Monday. His maize and cotton crops in his 12-acre farm failed due to lack of rains. He had taken Rs 12 lakh loan from various banks and money lenders.
Prabhu (49) hanged himself from a tree at Kodlahalli village in Hiriyur taluk in Chitradruga district. Prabhu, who had borrowed Rs 9 lakh, suffered losses and could not earn the money from his 15-acre farm of coconut, onion and acrecanut.
Anand (32) hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his house at Chikkaholaga Madi village in Bangarpet taluk of Kolar district on Monday morning. He had taken Rs 2.50 lakh loan from private financiers and Rs 50,000 from a local co-op bank to raise tomato crop on his two-acre land.
