Asmita Polji
Pernem: Cultivation of the famed Mandrem chillies, priced around Rs 800 to Rs 900 per kg and even crossing Rs 1,000, has dropped by half owing to various factors like shortage of labour and high irrigation cost, with some farmers also complaining of lack of support from the government.
Known for its beautiful and peaceful beach, Mandrem is also famous for the cultivation of the masoor chilli, with most of the villagers, especially Satoskars from Marathwada area in the village, growing the seasonal crop for the last four generations.
Earlier, every Satoskar family in the village cultivated a minimum of 200 kg of chillies. The demand for the chilli variety was such that buyers came to the doorstep of the farmers to pick their stock for around Rs 300 to Rs 400 per kg.
However, the situation has changed a lot now, said farmers. “Chillies we grew earlier were healthy compared to the present crop. Earlier, the soil was ploughed using bullocks. It has been replaced by tractors now. Also, the organic manure we used earlier has been replaced by fertilisers. These have affected the soil resulting in a change in the quality of the produce,” said Santosh Satoskar, a 63-year-old farmer.
Farmers growing 200 kg of chillies during a season have now reduced the produce to 100 kg and even below.
Shortage of labour has impacted the chilli production largely, said Sadanand Satoskar. “People today opt for different forms of employment. Women from the village prefer to work in hotels and shacks and are not willing to work in farms in hot sun. Also, the labour charges, which were Rs 250-Rs 300 per day earlier have now increased to Rs 800-Rs 900 making it difficult to carry on with cultivation,” he said.
“Another reason for the drop in cultivation of the crop is the high electricity bills and huge cost of machines involved in cultivation. Earlier, we manually used water in our farms but now with change of technology, a water pump is required to water the crop, resulting in huge power bills,” said Satoskar.
The farmers also said they are unable to bear the high cost of machines required to carry on with the cultivation process and sought help from the government.
The masoor chilli from Mandrem saw good sales and got the best price during the lockdown period when Covid-19 pandemic had struck, as transport of chillies from other states had stopped.
“Availability of readymade spices in the market has also led to a decrease in customers for the masoor chilli. There are hardly any families left today who buy chillies to make their home-made masala,” rued Satoskar.
