BATHINDA, Sept. 9 -- : Flash floods, which have inundated large tracts of agricultural lands in Ferozepur, are likely to hurt Punjab's hub of chilli cultivation in the border district. Farmers, who had invested in horticulture for rabi crop diversification for the last few years, say their economic condition is shattered after floods damaged their standing rice crop, leaving them with hardly any resources for the next crop of chilli. The season of the nine-month chilli crop commences from October. Farmers said that the market-driven chilli farming is a labour-intensive crop involving a high investment of up to Rs.1 lakh per acre. According to the state horticulture department's data, nearly 12,000 acres of land in a cluster of villages, including Mahalam, Barre Ke and Machhiwara, were under chilli cultivation in 2024. The district is emerging as a major hub for chilli production, with farmers collectively producing over 20,000 tonnes of green and red chillies. Farmers said that the diversification in the rabi season was giving them an opportunity for a profitable alternative, with chilli producers earning between Rs.1 lakh and Rs.4 lakh per acre, compared to Rs.45,000 to Rs.50,000 per acre from wheat cultivation. Officials said that a sizable chilli-producing belt is submerged, and fear a drastic fall in acreage this year. Ferozepur district horticulture officer Simranjit Singh said that conservative data suggests that over 1,500 acres of the horticulture belt are submerged, and it would decrease acres under chilli this time. "As fields are still flooded, it will take a few weeks to dewater the fields and desilt before the fields are ready to grow potatoes, wheat, arbi and other seasonal vegetables," he said. Experts said that an acre produces about 250 quintals of green chillies, while red chilli yields 80 to 120 quintals per acre. A chilli grower from Barre Ke, Jasbir Singh, said farmers were earning more than double the amount from wheat cultivation during the rabi cycle, but the floods have caused havoc for them. "I had sown non-basmati varieties on 15 acres of family land and another 10 acres of leased land. But floods have destroyed the entire crop. I have lost the money invested in the paddy and now I have no funds for sowing chilli," he said. Chilli grower Manjinder Singh from Mojgarh said that huge deposits of silt would seriously hamper production. Another horticulturist, Nirmal Singh, said that an acre of chilli demands an investment of more than Rs.90,000 and the circumstances have compelled him to stay away from growing chilli this year. "I had sown paddy on nearly 35 acres, on which I had spent nearly Rs.20,000 per acre. I had planned to spend money on chilli according to the estimated income from the paddy. But now the economic channel is completely shattered," he added. A progressive farmer and chilli nursery manager, Hardeep Singh, said farmers in the vegetable belt need immediate attention for financial support."Farmers were already reeling under heavy losses after the chilli rates were very low at Rs.5-6 per kg. In 2024, I had sown chilli on over 17 acres of family-owned land but now I will not be able to cover more than two acres," he added....