The Biggest Producers of Chilis

The price of chilis has been rising in India as crop failures due to heavy rain and high domestic demand have caused a shortage. According to reporting by Money Control, prices were up by 50 percent in September. In October, The Economic Times put the price increase for premium varieties even higher.

India is by far the world's biggest producer of dried chilis and peppers, the Food and Agriculture Organization category which comes closest to describing varieties of hot peppers that are often dried and sold whole or as a powder. In 2020, the latest year available, India produced more than 1.7 million tonnes of dried chili and pepper varieties - far ahead of second-placed Thailand and third-placed China. The latter country is a big importer of Indian hot chilis, which it uses to fill its high domestic demand.

More South Asian countries are found among the world's biggest producers of dry chilis and peppers. Bangladesh was in rank five in 2020, producing around 158,000 tonnes. Pakistan was right behind with an annual production of approximately 142,000 tonnes. While India is hoping that a better harvest will alleviate the shortage from January 2023 onwards, the country's neighbor to the Northwest is currently struggling with crop-decimating climate conditions in its major chili growing area.