Some chilli pepper traders who kept the stocks in their hands and who bought them at high prices moved to store them in cold storage to increase the shelf life and fetch high prices in the wake of price plunge and lack of demand in the market.
The chilli pepper market has started to fall since mid-2023.
Pyawbwe Moehtaung chilli pepper entered the market at K14,800 per viss in mid-August. The price plummeted to K9,000-9,500 per vis in mid-November owing to a high influx of new chilli pepper (Moehtaung) from the Yamethin area.
With the prices of long chilli peppers declining, some offer lower pricing when there is a demand from chilli powder manufacturers.
The prices stood at K6,000-7,000 per viss of long chilli pepper and K11,000-14,000 per viss of chilli pepper processed at cold storage.
Similarly, the prices of bell peppers also dropped to K12,500-13,500 per viss these days from K17,000 at the beginning of the harvest season.
The cold storage charge is approximately K1,000 per viss of chilli pepper.
The prices of long chilli peppers and bell peppers processed in cold storage and the original ones vary in 2022, showing a price difference of K5,000-15,000 per viss. The price of bell pepper processed in cold storage hit a high of K31,000 per viss on 17 November 2022 from K9,500-12,000 in mid-2022. — TWA/EM
