20,000 tonnes of summer chili expected in Rajshahi division

Around 20,000 tonnes of summer green chili is expected to be produced from 8,924 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current Kharip-1 cropping season.

Target has been set to produce around 6,847 tonnes of chili from 3,434 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts under Rajshahi Agricultural Zone.

Another 12,650 tonnes are expected to be harvested from 5,790 hectares of land in Bogura, Joypurhat, Pabna and Sirajgonj districts under Bogura Agricultural Zone this season.

Shamsul Wadud, Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), said the region has been producing chili along with other vegetables round the year enormously for a long time.

Presently, the local kitchen markets and other growth centres have become plentiful with the newly harvested chilli and other summer vegetables gradually declining the chilli price in both wholesale and retail markets.

Monwar Hossain, 45, a farmer of Soipara village under Mohanpur Upazila, said he had cultivated green chilli on 20-katha land this season. He has sold a total of 115 kilograms of chilli at the rate of Tk 200 per kg on an average. He is happy getting a lucrative price.

Abdus Samad, another farmer of Nuriakhetra village in Mohanpur Upazila said he had cultivated green chilli on one bigha of land last year and got good yield and price.

This time, he cultivated the spicy cash crop on two bighas of land and sold chilli with good profit over the past two weeks.

Agriculturist Wadud said farmers were happy after getting both good yield and market price of the summer chili everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract during the previous couple of weeks.

However, locals said the price of green chilli was nearly half on the city’s kitchen markets during the last two or three days compared to the previous couple of weeks. The price of green chilli declined by Tk 100-150 a kilogram and the item was selling for Tk 45 to Tk 50 a kg in wholesale markets today. But, it’s selling at Taka 70 to Tk in retail markets.

Traders said that the price of green chilli witnessed a sharp fall at present.

Ziaul Haque, an entrepreneur at Darusha Bazar under Paba Upazila, said the falling price will frustrate and discourage the grassroots farmers and there is a need for stability in the market price for making the farmers in general benefited.

Meanwhile, Darusha Green Chilli Marks and Kharkhori Green Chilli Market under Paba Upazila in Rajshahi district have been bustling with bountiful summer chilli and farmers and traders for the last at present.

The trading-spree is increasing gradually with increasing numbers of buyers and sellers. After buying from the haats, the chilli is sent to different parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka. Growers from the surrounding upazilas bring their chilli to the market and sell at wholesale rates.

Rawshan Ali, President of the market committee, said about 30 metric tons of green chilli are sold in this market daily. The wholesalers send eight to ten truckloads of chilli to different parts of the country including Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet every day.

A wholesaler of the haat said he buys 3,000 kg of chilli every day, and sent those to Chattogram.

Meanwhile, the DAE has set a target of producing around 9.15 lakh tonnes of summer vegetables from 49,895 hectares of land in the division during the current Kharif-1 season.

The entire kitchen markets in the region are currently bustling with all summer vegetables like red amaranth, bottle gourd, spinach, lady’s finger, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, pumpkin and brinjal benefiting both growers and consumers.

Vegetable farming brings a smile on farmers’ faces here as they are becoming financially solvent by cultivating various types of vegetables, meeting its growing demand of the consumers despite Covid-19 pandemic situation. (BSS)