3 months ago
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Around 100 chilli increasing farmers are expected to enactment successful the three-day 14th Annual Chilli Mela to beryllium held connected Moorusavir Mutt High School Grounds successful Hubballi from Friday.
Addressing presspersons successful Hubballi connected Tuesday, Managing Director of Karnataka State Spices Development Board B.R. Girish said that chilli is grown successful an estimated 79,152 hectares successful the State. As overmuch arsenic 1.58 lakh tonnes output is expected this season.
Mr. Girish mentioned that 89 farmers participated successful the past chilli mela (2025) during which 203 quintals of adust chilli worthy ₹71 lakh was sold.
To a query connected information of less fig of farmers during the past mela, helium said that past year, the venue was changed to multipurpose accumulation centre connected APMC premises astatine Bhairideverakoppa, due to the fact that of which the footfall was less.
“Taking it into consideration, we are present conducting the mela astatine the archetypal venue. Extensive publicity is besides being carried retired to pull much visitors arsenic this is an lawsuit wherever radical volition beryllium capable to bargain straight from farmers,” helium said.
Mainly Byadgi Dabbi and Kaddi varieties of chill volition beryllium disposable astatine the chilli mela. It is grown successful Dharwad, Gadag, Bagalkot, Ballari and Raichur districts.
Apart from merchantability of adust chilli, the mela volition besides item the latest innovations successful chilli cultivation, helium said.
Chilli increasing farmers tin registry their names for the mela with copies of records of their onshore holdings and Aadhaar cards astatine the bureau of KSSDB or astatine the Taluk Horticulture Department. For details, they tin telephone Ph: 0836-2375030 (KSSDB) oregon taluk offices of the Horticulture Department connected Ph: 0836-2355138 (Hubballi), 0836-2746334 (Dharwad) oregon 08380-229170 (Navalgund).
Decline
To a query, Mr. Girish said that this year, the country nether chilli cultivation has reduced by astir 40,000 hectares owed to assorted factors, including inclement upwind and farmers not getting just prices during the erstwhile season. This, however, has resulted successful amended terms for the chilli this year, helium said.
On the programme launched by the committee to sphere the archetypal Byadgi chilli assortment astatine Horticultural Research and Extension Station in Devihosur of Haveri district, helium said that the seeds preserved and developed astatine the centre person been distributed to scores of farmers and bully yields person besides been registered.
Laboratory
To different query, helium said that a connection to acceptable up authorities prime investigating laboratory successful Hubballi has not materialised yet but steps are being taken to acceptable up a laboratory successful the Spice Park projected astatine Bettadamane adjacent Mudagere.
He admitted that due to the fact that of issues of maintenance, proposals to physique authorities warehouses ha e not materialised yet.
General Manager of KSSDB Ramachandra Madiwal was present.
The Chilli Mela volition beryllium inaugurated by Labour Minister Santosh Lad astatine 11 a.m. connected Friday successful the beingness of Sri Gurusiddha Rajayogindra Swami of Moorusavir Mutt, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Chairman of Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti and others.
