Prices of Mundu type red chillies to decline:analysis

The price of Mundu type red chillies will decline after this month and will rule around Rs 95-100 per kg in wholesale commission markets in Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts, an analysis carried out by Agro Marketing Intelligence and Business Promotion Centre in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has revealed.
Samba type red chillies will rule around Rs 55-60 per kg in Vilathikulam market in Tamil Nadu.
Since, there will be the possibility of further decline in the price from April, TNAU has advised the farmers to sell their produce immediately after harvest.
At present, the price for Mundu type red chillies are ruling around Rs 100-110 per kg in Ramanathapuram markets, Rs. 90-100 per kg in Paramakudi and Virudhunagar markets and Samba type red chillies rule around Rs 70-75 per kg in Vilathikulam market, the analysis said.

In Tamil Nadu, Mundu type chillies are cultivated as rainfed crop during Aug-Sept and harvest will commence by January-end and end with last week of March.
Only single crop in a year is practised in Tamil Nadu, resulting in traders intended to pile their stock during this harvest period according to their year round demands, the Centre said.

In India, chillies are mainly grown in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telungana and Karnataka states, where long chillies are being grown.
But in Tamil Nadu, the Samba (long) are confined to Tuticorin and part of Virudhunagar districts and Mundu types are mostly grown in Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts.

Among these chillies, Mundu type has moderate pungency and there is strong consumer preference for Mundu in Kancheepuram, Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode and Tirupur districts, it said.