Bumper chilli changes lot of <i>char</i> farmers
Traders and workers busy putting into sacks huge quantities of dried chilli at Fulchhari Haat in Gaibandha district. Jamuna basin areas in Fulchhari upazila saw bumper production of chilli this season. Photo: STAR
Bumper production of chilli has brought smile on the faces of farmers in char areas of Fulchhari upazila. The poverty-stricken people living in the charlands along Jamuna basin said they were earning huge profit this year. According to upazila agriculture office sources, encouraged by profits the farmers cultivated the item on 1200 hectares of land this year in place of 300 hectares last year. Every Saturday and Tuesday, wholesalers and agents of different wholesalers and companies from Dhaka and others places throng Fulchhari market to buy red chilli, said local growers. Around 250 to 300 maunds of red chilli worth over Tk 10 lakh to 12 lakh is being sold on weekly haat (village market) day, said Farhad Rabbi, leaseholder of the market. “April is the month of harvesting red chilli and we are very happy due to bumper production of the vegetable in the areas,” said farmer Amir Hossain of Harichandi village. Amir said, he cultivated chilli on four bighas of land this season, spending Tk 80 thousand and earned over Tk one lakh from the sales of 45 maunds of dried red chilli. “At present a maund of quality red chilli is being sold at Tk 4,200 in the market”, he added. However, a number of growers, who borrowed money from banks or their relatives, sold green chilli earlier to repay the loan money, said another farmer, Rafiqul Mia. “Cultivation of chilli is gaining popularity here as it is becoming more profitable than paddy, maize or other crops”, he added. The farmers are expecting to harvest about 12,500 maunds of red chilli this year due to high yield of the vegetable, said the upazila agriculture officer Yousuf Rana Mandol.
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