MIRPURKHAS, Aug 17 The president of the Red Chilli Growers Association, Mian Mohammad Saleem, has urged the president and prime minister to order installation of a chilli dehydration unit at Kunri town to enable chilli growers to export aflatoxin (fungus) free chilli to international market.

Talking to Dawn on Monday he said that the federal ministry of industries had approved a Rs220 million chilli dehydration unit for Kunri town a few months ago.

The government had allocated Rs100 million in 2009-10 budget and the remaining Rs120 million would be allocated in the next budget, he said.

He said that the unit would be established on an three acres, which had been provided by the growers adjacent to chilli research centre in Kunri.

He said that after completion of this unit, the growers would be able to compete in international market because the USA, European Union, Japan and other countries avoided buying chilli with aflatoxin (fungus).

He said that on growers' demand this unit would also provide chilli in powder and mash form. A private firm was installing dehydration unit at Sultanabad in Tando Allahyar district that would dehydrate 50 tons chilli daily and also dehydrate onion and other crops.

He said that it would cost less due to availability of gas facility there, he added.

Mr Saleem said that he had submitted an application to the additional chief secretary of planning for the establishment of the unit under public-private partnership because the growers were ready to bear its 50 per cent.

He said that throughout the world, dehydrated crops were being purchased in international market. In past the government did not pay attention to redress grievances of chilli growers whose main problem was absence of chilli dehydration unit, which prevented them exporting their produce to international market, he said.

He said that India exported more chilli to the USA and European countries because the country had installed many dehydration units since last many years.

He said that the biggest chilli market of the country was at Kunri from where chilli was supplied throughout the country and abroad.

He said that “Longi Chilli” was a special variety of this region. It was cultivated in Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, parts of Badin, Khipro, Kaloi and in some areas of Hyderabad.

This year chilli has been sowed late due to acute shortage of water and it reached fruition after rainfall. It is cultivated on 70,000 to 80,000 acres of land each year. Its harvest had started and it would arrive in Kunri market next month, he said.