Gaibandha red chilli famed countrywide

GAIBANDHA, Apr 17: Gaibandha is one of the agricultural districts in the northern region. Apart from farming various crops, local farmers grow chillies every year.

That's why the slogan of this district is the scent of Rasmanjuri full of flavour, the life of corn-pepper Gaibandha in Charanchal.

There has been a revolution in pepper cultivation in different areas of Phulchari upazila surrounded by the Brahmaputra River in this district.

Phulchari Upazila is famous for being the only pepper market in the district due to the fact that pepper cultivation is high.

In Ghazaria union of the upazila, a large quantity of pepper is brought from different sources by boat to the markets adjacent to Brahmaputra.

Known as Phulchari Chilli Haat, it has now become a sight to behold in the importation of dry chillies and sour red chillies.

Farmers grow hybrid, local and other varieties of pepper in the district.

Farmers and wholesalers from Gaibandha Sadar upazila's Kamarjani, Mollarchar, Kholabari, Saghata and Sundarganj upazila's char areas and Dewanganj and Baksiganj of Jamalpur district come to sell pepper in this market.

And traders came to buy pepper from different districts, including Bogura. This market remains open on two days a week - Saturday and Tuesday.

The pepper trade at the market starts from early in the morning.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), 5,265 tonnes of red chillies has been produced on 2,025 hectares of land in seven upazilas of Gaibandha this year.

Among them, 47 hectares in Gaibandha Sadar Upazila, 185 hectares in Sadullapur, 51 hectares in Palashbari, 124 hectares in Gobindganj, 154 hectares in Sundarganj, 1063 hectares in Phulchari and 401 hectares in Saghata have been brought under pepper cultivation.

Amir Uddin, a farmer of Kholabari Char, said, "I bring 65kg of red chillis to sell in the market."

Wholesalers say chillies are sold at about 8,000 per maund.

The traders, who came to sell chillis from Dakatiya Char, said, "I've brought 56kg of chilli to the market and sold it for Tk 6,000. I've got Tk 1,000 less per maund."

Gaibandha DAE Deputy Director Md Khorshed Alamer said pepper is cultivated in seven upazilas of this district.

The DAE gives all-out assistance to farmers to grow pepper in the district.

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