DADU, Dec 8: With the weather turning chillier across Sindh towns, the chilli crop is increasingly being ruined in a vast area by two diseases — leaf curl and bud mite.

Growers of the chilli crop complain that the twin diseases have affected as much as 50 per cent production of their crop in various parts of Dadu district, including Phakka, Yar Mohammad Kalhoro, Khudabad, Bhan, Sita, Phulji, Radhan, Nau Goth, Chejani, Johi, Kakar, Pir Shakh and Khanpur.

They say that with the spread of the diseases, vegetable market agents have reduced chilli prices so drastically that the produce cannot even fetch the money spent on preparation of land, fertilisers and pesticides besides the farm to market transport charges.

Adam Rodhnani, an affected grower of Pir Shakh, told Dawn that he had cultivated 10 acres of the chilli crop, but suddenly leaves of the plants began to wither. He showed plants affected by the diseases to this correspondent.

Ghulam Nabi Lund of Phakka deh complained that as soon as the twin diseases, locally known as Krundh (leaf curl) and Mukhri (bud mite), had spread in his chilli crop standing over 20 acres and now he had stopped harvesting the crop. He claimed the diseases could not be controlled despite pesticide sprays. Azam Solangi of Moundar deh said commission and vegetable agents of the Dadu vegetable market had reduced the rates of chillies. He said last year vegetable agents purchased Rs800 per maund, but this year the price had fallen to Rs200.

Speaking to this reporter, the assistant director of the agriculture department in Dadu, Ali Nawaz Kalhoro, said the twin diseases had affected about 50 per cent of the crop production.

He said due to increasing cold, both diseases were spreading in chilli crops. He said leaf curl and bud mite had affected over 4,000 acres of the chilli crop in the district. He said agriculture officials were advising growers to have pesticides sprayed to control the diseases in their crops. He said he was also visiting the affected areas to monitor teams of the departments and hold meetings with chilli growers.

Dadu district president of the Sindh Abadgar Board Dharam Das said when the government would not export chillies to India, its rate would not increase. He demanded that the authorities allow traders to export chillies to India.

Mohammad Umer Jamali, an office-bearer of the board, said the government had taken no measures to halt the falling chilli prices or the diseases in chilli crops.

He said Phakka, Yar Mohammad Kalhoro, Khudabad, Bhan, Sita, Phulji, Radhan, Nau Goth, Chejani, Johi, Kakar, Khanpur, Sann and Laky Shah Saddar were the main chilli growing areas in Dadu and Jamshoro districts. He demanded that the government set up industrial units to help chilli growers.

Shahnawaz Zour, a vegetable market agent, told Dawn that 1,500 to 1,600 maunds of green chillies he had bought in November at Rs400 per maund, but after the diseases attack, chillies price had fallen to Rs100 a maund.