Ferozepur chilli cluster project yet to take off
Anirudh Gupta
Ferozepur, July 21
A chilli cluster project, which was announced last year by the state government, is yet to take off in Ferozepur district.
The chilli crop is being cultivated on around 40,000 acres of land in this district.
In fact, over the last few years, the bumper chilli crop produced here has reportedly reduced the state’s dependency on countries such as Mexico, which is the largest chilli producing nation.
At present, the chilli produced here is sold in Rajasthan for processing. Then it reaches the market. Once the cluster comes up in Ferozepur, the chilli will be processed here and supplied directly to consumers. Lakhwinder Singh, a farmer
The state government has launched the PHASE project, under which the department provides subsidy up to 65 per cent to the chilli growers to set up their own procurement and processing plants. Dr Simran Singh, HDO
As the farmers were facing several issues in marketing and storage of their produce, Cabinet Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra had announced setting up of the chilli cluster in this district, besides Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan had also assured the chilli growers of providing all type of assistance.
Lakhwinder Singh, who cultivates seven acres land at Toot village, said chilli growers were a worried lot due to delay in the project. “At present, the chilli produced here is sold in Rajasthan for processing. Then it reaches the market. Once the cluster comes up in Ferozepur, the chilli will be processed here and supplied directly to consumers.”
“We demanded setting up of a food processing and dryer units. The Punjab Agro should set up a collection centre here so that the farmers could easily sell their produce but nothing has happened on the ground,” added Lakhwinder.
Manpreet Singh, a resident of Loombriwala village, said, the chilli growers were facing the brunt of the state government’s apathy.
“Issues related to cold storage and marketing of the produce have not been addressed so far. We have to go to other places to get fertilizers and pesticides to meet our requirements,” said Manpreet, adding that the state government should provide facilities on the lines of Andhra Pradesh. “If such facilities are provided, we will be able to boost the economy of the area,” he said.
Horticulture Development Officer (HDO) Dr Simran Singh said the state government had launched the Punjab Horticulture Advancement and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (PHASE) project, under which the department provides subsidy up to 65 per cent to the chilli growers to set up their own procurement and processing plants. “The department is organising camps to make the farmers aware about the scheme so that the maximum number of chilli growers could avail the benefit,” said the HDO.
According to information, around 19,963 metric tonnes of green chillies are being produced on 9,920 hectares in the state.
Major chilly producing districts include Ferozepur, Patiala, Malerkotla, Sangrur, Jalandhar, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur. Out of these, Ferozepur is the largest producer of chillies with an area of 1,700 hectares, followed by Jalandhar with 1,195 hectares and Tarn Taran with 1,106 hectares providing employment to over 8,000 people directly and more than 16,000 people indirectly.
