Chilli prices persist fall during new crop season

Among high-priced kitchen goods, new chillies and onions entered the market. However, their prices did not drop, according to the market.
There is little chance that prices in the same period of 2023 will match the typical prices of previous years. Edible oil, Kyukok garlic and potatoes are falling in price despite the rise in prices of chillies and onions.
Therefore, a broker requested consumers to buy chillies and onions with patience. Prices of old summer onions and chillies reached the highest rates ever seen in the trading business after mid-2022, Ko Phyo, a local trader, told the Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
Although chilli peppers entered the market at the end of 2022, the price did not drop significantly, said Ko Phyo. The price of long chilli pepper is usually around K3,000 to K5,000 per viss (a viss equals 1.6 kilogrammes) in the new season, while bell pepper is around K8,000 to K10,000 per viss. Meantime, the wholesale prices of cold storage bell peppers and Panye Hmyani cold storage chilli fetched K3,1000 and K2,2000 per viss respectively in mid-2022.
The wholesale prices of newly released chilli varieties — Sinphyukyun bell pepper, Thazi bell pepper, Thedaw bell pepper and Shan Buu Soe chilli — stood at K28,000-K29,000, K22,200, K20,000 and K20,000 per viss separately. Although there is a slight drop in prices of Shan Buu Soe chilli, Thazi bell pepper and Thedaw bell pepper, it has not reached around K10,000 per viss.
The price of the new Panye long chilli pepper is around K20,000 per viss despite its low quality. Long chilli pepper from Shan State and Moehtaung chilli from various regions are currently priced at around K15,500 per viss and K13,000-K13,500 per viss.
A broker stated that the price will be much higher than the same period in regular years when the new delta chillies start to enter the market in summer.
As prices of chillies and onions are expected to soar in 2023, there is a possibility that traders will have to purchase them at higher prices than usual. Chilli growers benefit from the prices given by traders.
However, respective organizations should monitor and control to create a balance between traders and consumers since consumers have to buy high-priced kitchen goods for two consecutive years as reviewed by a market researcher. — TWA/EMM