Due to wilting and death of chilli plants, the farmers of Phuyang in Trashi Yangtse are worried about this year’s production. Moreover, some plants died due to blight, the common chilli disease. Farmers in Phuyang in Yalang Gewog produce early local chilli at this time of the year.
The farmers started selling their first harvest of local green chillies since a week ago.
But most of them are now worried as the plants have started wilting and dying.
Moreover, the price of the chilli has dropped this year.
“Most of my chilli plants have started dying and a few plants became yellowish. They bear small-sized chilli, and it has been almost three to four years now. Earlier, we used to fetch around Nu 330 to 300 per kilogramme of chilli and the price remained the same for almost a month. But this time, the price has even dropped to Nu 250 per kilogram within a week,” said Chimi Dorji, a farmer.
“If the plants don’t die, I am expecting to earn around Nu 50,000 this time. Some of the chilli plants have started wilting while some are flowering but the plants die soon after,” said Sonam Zangmo, another farmer.
Farmers said they even used pesticides, and irrigation equipment and infrastructure such as sprinklers, pipes and tanks, provided by the gewog agriculture officials but did not make any impact.
Yalang Gewog Agriculture Extension officer said chilli plants get wilted due to lack of proper management, meaning, there is excessive water supply in the field.
Some plants were also affected by chilli blight due to climatic conditions.
The agriculture extension officer has also advised farmers to practise crop rotation and use mulching plastic to avoid pests and loss of water.
The farmers produced around 18 metric tonnes of local green chilli last year.
The early local chilli is cultivated by more than 40 households on around 18 acres of land in Bephushot.
Sonam Darjay, Trashi Yangtse
Edited by Tshering Zam
