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Panchagarh chilli growers upbeat at bumper yield, fair price

Quamrul Islam Rubaiyat, Thaku rgaon
Panchagarh farmers saw a bumper production of green chilli this season despite prolonged drought like situation during the item's growing period.
The farmers are also happy over its good price in the local markets.
Chilli cultivation is gradually gaining popularity in the district as the farmers get good return with low labour and production costs.
Apart from flooding the local markets, the essential item of preparing curry is being supplied to other parts of the country includ-ing capital Dhaka, Narayanganj as harvesting
of the crop is going on in full swing in the district.
Due to the bumper harvest of the crop, makeshift chilli markets have been set up at different villages in Atwary, Boda and Debiganj upazilas of the district.
Each maund of chilli is now being sold at Tk.700-800 at the wholesale markets where traders from different parts of the country come to buy it.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said farmers have cultivated chilli on about 9,000 hectares of land in five upazilas of the district.
Major portion of land in Atwary, Boda and Debiganj
upazilas was brought under chilli cultivation.
Sandy-loamy soil, favourable weather, easy availability of labourers and irrigation facilities in the district were considered as the reasons for the production of best quality chilli in the country.
Boda, Debiganj and Atwrai upazilas are more suitable out of five upazilas for chilli cultivation, DAE sources said.
Though the farmers faced an adverse weather this season due to shortage of water they managed it efficiently by arranging timely irrigation and taking necessary steps to save the plants,
Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Panchagarh said.
This year's chilli production would surpass all the records of the last years in this district, the DD said.
He also said cultivation of chilli is quite easy and usually less expensive than the other crops. He pointed out that a farmer could easily earn Tk. 15,000 to Tk.20,000 by growing chilli inabighaofland.
Replying to a query he said it is possible to produce up to 30-32 maunds of chilli per bigha of land if the climate favours and farmers take care properly to the field.