Prices of chilli, red gram soar

Adding to the current price rise, there is likely to be a severe shortage of crop of chilli, black gram and red gram in the state due to lack of sufficient rains and failure of monsoon.

The chilli price climbed to more than Rs 125 per kg at the farm level, anything like never before, causing worry to the citizens. The black gram prices are also climbing. According to the directorate of economics and statistics, red chilli price of state average is Rs 137 per kg of fine grade.

The highest at Jammala-madugu Rs 150 per kg of fine grade red chilli and Rs 140 per kg of second grade at Kakinada. But in the retail market, the residents are forced to purchase the product with more than that price. At the retail market the black gram price is Rs 180 to Rs 200 per kg in various districts in the state per kg.

There is wide gap between demand and supply with respect to the black gram in the market, observed Araga Chandra Sekhar Reddy, a big stockist in Guntur district. He said that at farm level the black gram price is

Rs 120 to 200 depending upon the variety and quality. He added that the PU 31 variety of black gram has very high demand.

He said that normal price of black gram was Rs 60 to Rs 70 per kg. But now it became Rs 120 per kg. He hoped that the black gram price may come down as farmers prefer to cultivate it. He stated that many farmers are going to plant red gram as second crop. He explained that farmers are opting it for two reasons, including high price and low water intensity. The black gram crop came into the market from Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. He expected that if the present estimations are realised then the prices would come down to normal by January.