Gujarat's 'Pushpa' chilli could spice up Karnataka's political drama after Amul vs Nandini saga

When consumers think of Amul or Nandini during hot Indian summers, the idea of the dairy cooperatives as ingredients for a political battle is the last thing that comes to mind. But like Vedanta-Foxconn and Tata-Airbus, Amul and Nandini also find themselves at the centre of an interstate rivalry used to fan political flames.

As Amul tries to dispel the notion of its entry in Karnataka threatening Nandini, chillies from Gujarat are already hot property in the poll-bound state.

Pushpa chilli a hit as the rest are missing from action

The chilli which shares its name with a blockbuster Pushpa, is a hit in the Byadagi market, which is one of Asia's biggest chilli hubs.

With a virus damaging 30 per cent of India's chilli production, supply from other states has been hit, while Byadagi saw a consistent inflow from Gujarat.

Thanks to this, 20,000 quintals of the Pushpa chilli have been sold at the hub in the past few months, and 70 sellers have packed it in cold storages nearby.

The rise of a smaller player

Entire nations and major firms depend on chillies from Byadagi, and the two leading suppliers for the market are Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

They are followed by Madhya Pradesh as India's third biggest chilli producer, and Karnataka is fourth with a 10 per cent market share.

But Gujarat at seventh position with barely 1 per cent of the market share, has emerged with a gamechanging variety.

Although it hasn't been positioned as a competitor for local varieties or those that rule the roost in Byadagi, Pushpa's rise has all the ingredients to spice up the political drama in Karnataka.