Farmers and field level agricultural extension and research officials in Rajshahi division are very hopeful about chilli production this season.
According to sources, around 18,000 tons of green chili is expected to be produced from 8,700 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division in the current season.
Targets have been set to produce around 8,000 tons of chili from 3,625 hectares of land in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts under Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while another 10,000 tonnes to be produced from 5,075 hectares of land in Bogra, Joypurhat, Pabna and Sirajgonj districts under Bogra Agricultural Zone.
Sudhendra Nath Roy, Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) of Rajshahi region, said the region has been producing a big amount of chili along with other vegetables round the year 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.
Agriculturist Sudhen Roy said farmers are also happy after getting both good yield and market price of the summer chili everywhere in the region, including the vast Barind tract.
Locals said the price of green chili nearly doubled on the city’s kitchen markets over the past couple of days. The price of green chili rose by Tk 50-60 a kilogram and the item was selling for Tk130 to 150 a kg on Sunday and Monday.
Traders said that the price of green chili witnessed a sharp rise due to various reasons, including the monsoon caused damage to farmlands which has led to a supply shortage of the item on the city markets.
Monwar Hossain, 45, a farmer of Soipara village under Mohanpur Upazila, said he had cultivated green chili on 20-katha land this season. He has sold a total of 115 kilograms of chili at the rate of Tk 85 per kg on an average. He is happy after getting a fair price.
Abdus Samad, another farmer of Nuriakhetra village in Mohanpur Upazila, said he had cultivated green chili 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 chili with good profit over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, Kharkhori Green Chili Market under Paba Upazila in Rajshahi district has been bustling with bountiful summer chili and farmers and traders for the last couple of weeks.
The trading spree is growing gradually with increasing numbers of buyers and sellers. After buying from the haat, the chili is sent to different parts of the country. Growers from the surrounding upazilas bring their chili to the market and sell at wholesale rates.
Rawshan Ali, president of the market committee, said about 30 metric tons of green chili are sold in this market daily. The wholesalers send eight to ten truckloads of chili to different parts of the country including Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet every day.