“The government will train chilli farmers how to harvest export quality chilli under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). How to pluck chilli from the plant is an art that farmers need to be trained to produce export quality produce,” he said.The Agriculture Ministry has directed the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to find new avenues to export chilli.Exports have declined due to weak international demand this season. Erratic weather in the chilli-producing region has impacted the crop. India exports chilli to countries like China, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Long dry spells and the extension of monsoon rainfall in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh has impacted the quality of chilli crop. Moreover, erratic weather has also induced pest infestations, such as Nalla Tamara (black thrips), which has severely impacted the chilli crop yield, and increased the farmers’ investment. Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and senior officials from the AP government attended the meeting.On Thursday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu interacted with Chouhan over the chilli farmers’ concerns, and procurement-related issues, through a video conference.
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