Dry spell dims export-grade vegetables in Chittoor, growers forced to sell at home

An unusually prolonged dry spell across Chittoor and Annamayya districts is set to affect the region’s vegetable economy, with deteriorating crop quality, shrinking market arrivals and rising prices, hitting farmers, traders and consumers alike.

The region has received virtually no substantial rainfall since March, except for a few isolated showers in May, leaving vegetable crops exposed to prolonged heat stress.

The badly affected pockets include the vegetable-growing belts of the Palamaner and Kuppam Assembly constituencies. Several small and marginal farmers depend on cultivating premium varieties of cabbage, gourds, legumes, leafy greens and chillies. Apart from supplying a sizeable share of vegetables to Chennai’s wholesale markets and to Vellore and Bengaluru, the region also exports selected produce to Singapore, Malaysia, the Gulf countries and parts of Europe.

Farmers observe that the constant dry spell has reduced the size, colour and shelf life of vegetables, leaving much of the export-grade produce unsuitable for overseas markets. “The yields have not collapsed completely, but the quality has suffered badly. Buyers seeking export standards are unwilling to deal with our stock. We are forced to sell them in domestic markets at lower returns,” said Ramanjaneyulu (63), a seasoned vegetable farmer in V. Kota mandal.

The stress is visible in local markets across Chittoor and Annamayya districts. Brinjal, ladies’ fingers and ivy gourd, the most common varieties, are retailing at around ₹80 a kg, and several varieties of beans and other legumes have almost disappeared from market yards since the first week of June.

Leafy vegetables have also become scarce, pushing up prices further. Tomato growers in the Madanapalle, Valmikipuram and Tamballapalle areas express concern that the crop has lost its typical colour and size despite good summer yields. Domestic guava cultivation in the Penumuru and Rayachoti belts has also borne the brunt of the prolonged summer.

Consumers deplore that rising prices are accompanied by a visible decline in freshness and quality. “The regular price of brinjal should be ₹40 a kg, but now it’s double, and that too half of them would be gone inside. Instead, we prefer dhal and chicken these days. Let the rains come,” said Sumathi (36), a private school teacher in Chittoor.

The horticulture department officials admit that the situation was due to unusually prolonged moisture stress and abnormally high summer temperatures, even in cooler areas such as Madanapalle and Kuppam.