A farmer at his chilli field in Turukbag village under Golapganj upazila of Sylhet. The photo was taken on Saturday. — FE Photo Our Correspondent
SYLHET, Feb 24: Chilli cultivation has increased in Sylhet division during the current Rabi season.
A good number of farmers have enhanced the farming of the item as they made a good profit from it last year, said Md Altabur Rahman, additional director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Sylhet divisional office.
Even many charlands have been brought under the cultivation of chilli this year for the first time. The department and the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) have been providing technical and advisory assistances to the growers to make the cultivation programme a success. Seeds of high yielding chilli varieties are now available in the local market. Moreover all the four districts of the division are suitable to growing the necessary kitchen item, the official added.
DAE sources said chilli is being cultivated on 3,332 hectares of land in the division. It includes 1,315 hectares in Sylhet, 355 hectares in Moulvibazar, 415 hectares in Habiganj and 1,247 hectares in Sunamganj.
Farmer Abdul Bari of Turukbag village under Golapganj upazila said farmers are getting involved with the farming of spices especially chilli due to rising demand and better returns
Mr Rahman said farming area of the division would increase further in the coming year as a programme to bring arable lands under farming of different crops has been going on. The prime objective of the specially initiated programme is to bring 70,000 hectares of arable lands in Sylhet, Sumanganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar under farming.
Unlike other regions, Sylhet division had long been much behind in agriculture with highest number of expatriate people and absentee land owners coupled with lack of interest of common farmers, the official said. However, things are getting changed in recent years.
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