GUNTUR: The mirchi season ended with a great note at Asia’s largest Mirchi Yard in Guntur, as the authorities have announced summer holidays for the yard from May 11.
The labourers and vendors in the mirchi yard suffer severe inconvenience due to high pungency of mirchi amidst the hot temperatures and suffer heat stroke. To prevent this, the market yard committee announces holidays from May to June every year. This year, after receiving several petitions from farmer unions and labour unions, Nimmakayala Rajanarayana, mirchi yard chairman announced summer holidays from May 11 to June 9. He also urged the farmers from across the State who sell their produce at Guntur mirchi yard not to bring chilli loads during the holidays as the yard will remain closed till June 9. Till the last day of the season, the business was at brisk pace as over 1.5 lakh bags of chilli arrived to the market every day. Unlike in the past, the prices of quality mirchi have skyrocketed in January, due to an increase in exports.
According to market experts, due to floods and other calamities, mirchi production in other countries has decreased, as a result, the demand for Guntur mirchi has increased due to its rich quality and pungency. As a result, and due to early arrivals, as never before, the mirchi season started from January this year.
As a result, the officials had to announce an extra holiday on every Wednesday in addition to Saturday and Sunday, in order to clear the piled bags of chilli and regulate the traffic.
On the other hand, over 150 cold storages in the outskirts of Guntur city are filled with mirchi, as several farmers and vendors favoured store quality mirchi to export to other countries or sell them when the prices increase after the holiday season.
