The CPM leaders in Khammam have urged the central and state governments to set up a special chilli board. They also demanded that chilli crops be purchased through Markfed and Nafed to ensure farmers receive fair prices. Additionally, they called for a support price law to be enacted in Parliament and for farmers to be given financial assistance for their crops.
On Wednesday, a CPM delegation from Khammam visited the local chilli market yard to check the prices farmers were receiving for their chilli crops. They found that the prices had dropped significantly compared to last year.
CPM district secretary Nunna Nageswara Rao and state leader Yarra Srikanth pointed out that chilli farmers were struggling due to fake seeds. Last year, chilli was sold at around ₹25,000 per quintal, but this year, the price had fallen to ₹15,000. In reality, farmers were receiving only ₹13,000 per quintal. The absence of a minimum support price for cotton and chilli was making it difficult for farmers to sustain themselves.
The leaders urged the central government to use the Markfed system to fix a fair price for chilli, ensuring a minimum support price for farmers. They also asked the state government to pressurize the central government on this issue and provide investment assistance to farmers.
Later, they discussed the farmers’ problems with the market chairman, Hanumantha Rao, and the market secretary, seeking solutions to their concerns.
