India’s chilli acreage is estimated to have fallen by 30–40 per cent this kharif season, as last year’s weak prices prompted farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka—the main producing states—to shift to crops such as maize, cotton and tobacco, stakeholders said. The reduced planting area, along with an expected delay in new crop arrivals, has pushed up dry red chilli prices in recent days

“The total cultivated area has declined by roughly 40 per cent, as last year’s losses discouraged farmers from taking up chilli cultivation this season. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have each seen acreage fall by about 40 per cent, while Karnataka has experienced a steeper decline of around 50 per cent. Excess rainfall further affected the crop in some pockets, prompting replanting,” noted Sambasiva Rao Velagapudi, President of the Chilli Exporters Association, Guntur.

According to Sandeep Voddepalli, general manager at BigHaat Agro Pvt Ltd, chilli acreage is lower by an estimated 30–35 per cent. Taking into account recent rain-induced crop damage across 5–7 per cent of the area, the overall reduction could approach 40 per cent.