India, Feb. 22 -- With the fall in prices of red chillis in Andhra Pradesh from Rs.28,000 per quintal last year to less than Rs.7,000 per quintal in the current season, the central government on Friday stepped in to provide financial support to the farmers under the market intervention scheme.

Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday held a meeting with his cabinet colleagues from Andhra Pradesh - K Rammohan Naidu and Pemmasani Chandrasekhar - in the presence of department officials to sort out the issue in the wake of protest from the farmers for not announcing a minimum support price (MSP) for chillis this year.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi after the meeting, Chouhan said the Centre would extend financial suppo...