Karnataka: Chilli Farmers 'Vandalise' APMC Market in Byadgi Over Sudden Drop in Crop Prices

The town of Byadgi in Karnataka's Haveri district saw violent protests on Monday, March 11, after a sudden drop in the prices of chilli varieties. 

The unrest resulted in minor injuries to several people and significant damage to property and vehicles. Among those injured were police and fire personnel, who are currently receiving treatment at the government hospital in Byadgi.

The protests began at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yard in Byadgi, where frustrated farmers expressed their discontent over the sharp decline in chilli prices. Prices, which had previously been at Rs 20,000/quintal, plummeted to Rs 8,000 on Monday. 

This dramatic decrease was attributed to a substantial influx of chillies at the Byadgi APMC market, with over 3 lakh quintals arriving on Monday alone. The sudden surplus led to a significant reduction in chilli prices, prompting outrage among local farmers.

According to reports, the protesters in Byadgi set fire to the APMC office and ignited several vehicles, including a fire engine dispatched to the scene. They also hurled stones at the APMC office, vandalised the premises, and caused extensive damage to furniture and windows. 

The situation escalated as protesters allegedly confronted police and emergency services personnel, prompting them to retreat from the scene. Additional police forces were called in to regain control of the situation. 

"Soon after the incident, most protesters went away from the site. No arrests have been made so far. As it's a sensitive matter, we are cautious. Though at one point, the situation was so tense that the police could have fired in the air, the personnel on the ground acted swiftly to control the crowd," said a senior police officer.

Home Minister G Parameshwara stated that the government has taken serious note of the incident and is likely to take appropriate action in response to the violence.

APMC officials said that the chilli that has been coming to Byadagi for the last two weeks "is of low quality." 

"It does not fetch the same amount as the export quality. There is also a shortage of space to store chillies. The prices have been falling in the international markets for the last two weeks," they added. 

Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said, "It is a direct consequence of CM Siddaramaiah-led Congress government's anti-farmer policies and lackadaisical attitude in managing drought situation, which has left the farmers completely dismayed and annoyed. If only the Congress government had addressed the farmers' issues proactively and distributed sufficient drought relief at the right time, the farmers wouldn't have taken such a desperate step to vandalise the APMC premises."

"At least now, CM Siddaramaiah should wake up from deep slumber and provide a guarantee of drought relief to annadatas (providers of food). Else, the day is not far when desperate farmers will set ablaze the CM's residence and Vidhana Soudha," he said.