KHAMMAM: Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem farmers are breathing a sigh of relief as they are getting remunerative prices for their produce in the open market. A quintal of chilli is being sold at `10,000 to `11,000 at the market yard and the price is almost double that of last year. However, the yield this year has come down drastically due to the reduced extent of land under chilli cultivation as farmers were discouraged by the lower returns, and several of them opted for cotton.
Worsening the situation, diseases have hit the chilli crop this year. Last year, the yield was 25 to 30 quintals per acre but this year, due to poor climatic condition, the yield has come down to 15 to 25 quintals an acre. Had the yield been like last year, most of the farmers would have come out of debts and also be able to save some amount for investment.
