Cultivation of chillies is gaining popularity among the farmers in Noakhali as they are getting good yields and fair price for their produce.
Many of them began to grow chilli in their homes, as the spice takes little space to cultivate. While the major paddy crop can only be cultivated during the rice-growing season from September to January, chillies grow year round.
Of the total cultivated land, 1,380 hectares were used in Hatiya upazila where the production target is 2900 tonnes, said senior official of the district’s Department of Agricultural Extension Jugal Pada Dey.
A total of 3,200 hectares of land has also been earmarked for the chilli production in each of three other upazilas. The upazilas are: Companiganj, Subarnachar and Noakhali Sadar.
Two varieties of chilli, Khagrachari and Comilla, have become popular among the growers because of their high productivity.
Afia Begum, a grower from Naler Char village under Hatiya upazila, said she planted chillies in a small area, got bumper yield and made some profit. ‘I made my first attempt on a small scale, but in the end I managed to sell 70kg of chillies at Tk3150,” Afia said.
Farmer Mobarak Miah who cultivated chillies on 180 hectares of land said he used to grow lentils but abandoned it for chilli cultivation after suffering huge losses due to storm damage. This season, Mobarak harvested a total of 100kg of chillies so far that sold for Tk50 per kg in the local market.
Noakhali Principal Scientific Officer Mohiuddin Chowdhury said that as the saline soils of the district are suitable for chilli cultivation, growers are achieving maximum profits.
