Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): Ratlam witnessed a sharp decline in green chilli prices following a similar trend in tomato prices. The prices of green chillies have plummeted to an astonishingly low Rs five per kg due to an abundant supply, prompting traders to discard their stocks.
Farmers in Khawasa, Petlawad and Sarangi villages have been grappling with unsold chilli crops. Traders blame the rapid price drop, which has seen chillies go from Rs 20 to just Rs 5 per kg in five days, making it impossible to cover transportation costs to other markets.
Consequently, farmers have been compelled to dispose of quintals of chillies, exacerbating the crisis and leading to a surplus of chillies in the market.
The primary cause behind this distressing situation is the bumper production of chilli crops in major producing villages like Khawasa, Petlawad, Sarvad and Sarangi. The successive drops in tomato and chilli prices have severely affected local farmers, putting them in dire straits.
Market traders, like Mohammad Rafat, have been left with no choice but to discard their unsold stock due to the inability to recover the freight costs associated with shipping goods to markets in Jaipur and Delhi. Approximately 15 trolleys of purchased chillies met a similar fate on Tuesday.
This crisis underscores the urgent need for intervention and support for Ratlam's agricultural community, as they grapple with the repercussions of plummeting vegetable prices and the resulting economic hardships.
