The cherry pepper farmers of Woolig Tang under Nanong Gewog in Pema Gatshel are unhappy with the poor yield. The chilli variety, more commonly known as ‘dalley’, is one of their main cash crops.
Normally, around this time, the dalley plants in the village would start fruiting. The farmers would be busy predicting the harvest and calculating its returns. But this season, things are not so. The harsh winter frost has left the plants burnt and dry.
“We will not be able to earn anything from the cherry peppers this year. For two or three years, we enjoyed a good harvest as well as better profit. This time, I hardly sold 9 to 10 kilograms. The winter frost affected the yield quite badly,” said Balingmo, from Woolig Tang in Nanong Gewog, Pema Gatshel.
“We do not have anything to sell besides dalley. The potato harvest is equally bad this time. Due to climate change, we are experiencing colder winter and hotter summer. Due to this, the chilli plants die. Last year, I sold around 20 kilograms of cherry pepper. This time, I have nothing,” added Rinchen Wangmo, from the same village.
With an increasing demand for the pepper every season, the farmers had up-scaled its production as well. And fetching a better price only encouraged them more. On average, each farmer would earn Nu 50,000 from the sale of cherry pepper every season.
“I am thinking of increasing my production with the hope that the harvest will improve. But just in case if it is like this year, it is better not to continue. For now, I want to plant more,” Balingmo said.
“I want to continue growing the pepper irrespective of the yield. We have no other cash crops. However, this year has been a disappointing season,” added Rinchen Wangmo.
There are 10 households in Woolig Tang.
