For the farmers of ‘Ramnad mundu’, a native chilli variety of Ramanathapuram district, the COVID-19 pandemic could not have come at a worse time.

While around 40% of the crop is harvested across the district, shortage of labour and restrictions in transporting the produce to other States has reduced the profit margin, farmers rue. They demand interventions by the government to help them earn higher profits for their produce.

Deputy Director (Horticulture) N. Balakrishnan says the mundu chilli variety has been raised on around 16,000 hectares in the district. Usually, the chilli variety commands good demand in both domestic and international markets.

While the harvest season is under way across the district, there is shortage in farm labour due to the lockdown, says N. Santhakumar, a farmer from Kadambodai village in Mudukulathur block.

“In the wake of the outbreak of the pandemic, labourers are not willing to work at farmlands in other villages. The labour shortage delays plucking of crop and, hence, some of them tend to become spoiled,” he points out.

Due to rise in demand for labourers, farmers are paying additional ₹100 for wages, says A. Paneerselvam, another farmer.

With rising operational costs, the current market price for the chillies, which ranges from ₹100 to ₹130 per kg, is not profitable, says S. Michael, chairman of Ramanathapuram Chillies Producers Company, a farmer producer organisation. “Only if the chillies are sold at ₹200 per kg, we will be able to get a decent profit.”

He adds that despite a good yield this year, farmers are forced to sell their produce for lower rates to traders and commission agents. “Though the government announced that there must be no restriction in transportation of agricultural produce, there is still hesitation among traders.”

Usually, 60% of the crop harvested from the district is sold in other States such as Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, which has been disrupted due to the lockdown, says Mr. Balakrishnan. ‘We are ready to provide emergency passes to the traders, but there are hardly more than a few who come forward.”

K. Kanthirajan, Director of Ramanathapuram Mundu Chilli Growers’ Association, says traders who buy the produce for export, have not done so due to the pademic. “We are worried that by stocking up the produce, the crop might lose weight. We are also apprehensive that the chillies might also lose colour and eventually fetch lower profits.”

The district administration has encouraged farmers to store their produce in godowns at regulated markets, where they are not charged any fee for 30 days, says P. Raja, Secretary of Ramanathapuram Market Committee. “They can also store their produce at the three cold storage facilities in the district for free for 15 days. They can store their produce here and sell them to traders when the market price rises.”

The traders are also exempted from market fee, and free permits are issued to them to transport the produce to other States in the wake of the lockdown, he adds.

Mr. Micheal also urges the government to procure the chillies directly from farmers, similar to paddy, in order to help the farmers earn higher profits.