Red chilli cultivators savour sweet harvest

Chillies can be sweet. At least for the growers of the ‘lal sona’ (red gold) variety in the northern regions of the Jamuna basin, including Sirajganj, Pabna, Bogra and Gaibandha districts, the bumper crop certainly tastes so.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and farmers of the region expect to earn good profits this year from red chilli cultivation, which is now exported to different parts of Europe and the Middle East.
DAE sources said around 50,000 farmers of 100 shoals on the Jamuna in Sirajganj, Pabna, Bogra and Gaibandha have cultivated red chillies on around 14,380 hectares this year.
DAE officials had fixed the production target at around 32,000 metric tonnes. But now, they expect to exceed the target due to favourable climatic conditions.
They hope to get around 16,000 metric tonnes from Bogra, 10,000 metric tonnes from Sirajganj, 8,000 metric tonnes from Pabna, and 8,000 metric tonnes from Gaibandha. Around the same output is expected from Tangail and Jamalpur, too. Farmers in the region will earn around Tk. 500 crore from the produce, DAE officials claimed.
DAE sources added that farmers are now cultivating the Mexican hybrid species of chilli, too. The seeds of this chilli have come from Mexico via India. Around 8 to 10 maunds (1 maund = approx. 38 kg) of this chilli are produced on each bigha. A kilogram of red chilli during the harvesting season is sold for between Tk. 100 and Tk. 130 in the local markets.
Farmers said some wholesalers come to the chilli fields and buy the crop at cheap rates. This saves the producers the extra hassle of transporting the crop and the carrying costs.
They added that the communication system in the isolated shoals is very poor. Small boats and horse carts are the main means of transporting goods. Again, most channels in the river are unfit for boats in the dry season when the water levels fall drastically. So, farmers feel comfortable selling the produce on the field.
During a recent visit to the shoals, this correspondent found the workers harvesting red chillies and drying and processing them. Kuran Ali, a farmer at Kawakholar Char in Sirajganj district, said red chilli cultivation in the shoals is better than growing other crops. Farmers get the highest profits from it.
Many farmers even cultivate the chilli after taking land on lease. The net profit from cultivating red chilli on a bigha can amount to around Tk. 40,000, he claimed.
Kuran added that many farmers in the shoals have built houses over the past decade. Many landless people have become owners of land; many can now send their children to school, while many others have bought power tillers and irrigation pumps. Every year, more and more farmers join the red chilli cultivation bandwagon.
DAE sources said January to April is the peak season for red chilli harvesting. Over 1 lakh people, mostly women, get jobs on chilli fields during this time.
Sources at the export and import office said the best quality chilli is now being exported to Europe and the Middle East.
Chilli powder is also exported to different countries.

Red chilli cultivators savour sweet harvest

Chillies can be sweet. At least for the growers of the lal sona (red gold) variety in the northern regions of the Jamuna basin, including Sirajganj, Pabna, Bogra and Gaibandha districts, the bumper crop certainly tastes so. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and farmers of the region expect to earn good profits this year from red chilli cultivation, which is now exported to different parts of Europe and the Middle East. DAE sources said around 50,000 farmers of 100 shoals on the Jamuna in Sirajganj, Pabna, Bogra and Gaibandha have cultivated red chillies on around 14,380 hectares this year. DAE officials had fixed the production target at around 32,000 metric tonnes. But now, they expect to exceed the target due to favourable climatic conditions. They hope to get around 16,000 metric tonnes from Bogra, 10,000 metric tonnes from Sirajganj, 8,000 metric tonnes from Pabna, and 8,000 metric tonnes from Gaibandha. Around the same output is expected from Tangail and Jamalpur, too. Farmers in the region will earn around Tk. 500 crore from the produce, DAE officials claimed. DAE sources added that farmers are now cultivating the Mexican hybrid species of chilli, too. The seeds of this chilli have come from Mexico via India. Around 8 to 10 maunds (1 maund = approx. 38 kg) of this chilli are produced on each bigha. A kilogram of red chilli during the harvesting season is sold for between Tk. 100 and Tk. 130 in the local markets. Farmers said some wholesalers come to the chilli fields and buy the crop at cheap rates. This saves the producers the extra hassle of transporting the crop and the carrying costs. They added that the communication system in the isolated shoals is very poor. Small boats and horse carts are the main means of transporting goods. Again, most channels in the river are unfit for boats in the dry season when the water levels fall drastically. So, farmers feel comfortable selling the produce on the field. During a recent visit to the shoals, this correspondent found the workers harvesting red chillies and drying and processing them. Kuran Ali, a farmer at Kawakholar Char in Sirajganj district, said red chilli cultivation in the shoals is better than growing other crops. Farmers get the highest profits from it. Many farmers even cultivate the chilli after taking land on lease. The net profit from cultivating red chilli on a bigha can amount to around Tk. 40,000, he claimed. Kuran added that many farmers in the shoals have built houses over the past decade. Many landless people have become owners of land; many can now send their children to school, while many others have bought power tillers and irrigation pumps. Every year, more and more farmers join the red chilli cultivation bandwagon. DAE sources said January to April is the peak season for red chilli harvesting. Over 1 lakh people, mostly women, get jobs on chilli fields during this time. Sources at the export and import office said the best quality chilli is now being exported to Europe and the Middle East. Chilli powder is also exported to different countries.