Punjab: Farmers Get Major Disappointments as Capsicum Prices Dropped to Rs 1 per Kg

According to reports, farmers in Punjab's Mansa district threw capsicum on the highways on Wednesday as a result of collapsing prices, where they were allegedly only offered Re 1 per kg.

Following the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's request, numerous new farmers planted capsicum on a portion of their property. But we are startled at the rates being offered to us," Gora Singh Bhainibagha, a farmer in Mansa's Bhainibagha village who cultivates capsicum on 5 acres of land, said in response to Mann's appeal to farmers to choose crop diversification.

More than 3 lakh hectares of land are used to grow vegetables in Punjab. According to the horticulture department, out of these, capsicum is primarily grown over an area of around 1,500 hectares in the Mansa, Ferozepur, and Sangrur districts (500 hectares in Sangrur, 250 hectares in Mansa, about 100 hectares in Ferozepur, and the rest in various districts).

According to the horticulture department, this year's capsicum production was higher in all states due to the prolonged cold weather. Previously, Punjab's harvest would arrive by the end of March or the beginning of April, followed by the crop from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. This time, the variety from all states has converged, resulting in a surplus of capsicum for Punjab farmers. According to Punjab Horticulture Director Shailender Kaur, climate change appears to be the cause of this glut because in the past the harvest from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh used to arrive earlier.

Farmers encountered a similar issue in 2020, according to Bhainibagha, during the first Covid-19 shutdown. "Social events had decreased, there were fewer weddings, and hotels and restaurants were closed for a significant portion of the year. However, we had already received fair prices of Rs 10-15 per kilogram for our early produce in April. Rates were mere Rs 3 per kg by May," he remarked.

One of the primary markets for capsicum in the state, according to Jaspal Singh, a farmer who grows them on 8 acres of land, is Mansa. "Trade representatives from West Bengal or Kashmir visit our farms to harvest the goods. In addition to the neighborhood market, some produce is sold in Delhi's Azadpur Mandi. But the outside customer is missing, so we are facing a glut this time,” he added.

According to the authorities, farmers have received training on how to store their goods in cold storage and sell it at reasonable prices.

Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Mansa's Kotli Kalan village, is now regretting his choice to plant capsicum on three acres of his property. There is no current plan to assist farmers, despite the Punjab government had developed a chili cluster in the Ferozepur area. According to Bhainibagha, "This is the reason why farmers don't want to break the wheat-paddy cycle."

Farmers who spend almost Rs 1 lakh per acre on capsicum and are reeling from losses are now asking the Punjab government for assistance so they can travel to Kolkata to market their goods. But the government has yet to make a comment on this matter.

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