The closure of borders and restriction on imports has not only boosted local produce but has also triggered innovations among the people in the country. In Dagana, in absence of plastic cups, chilli growers of Samarchhu under Tsenda-Gang Gewog have found an alternative to raise chilli saplings– Bamboo cups.
So far, farmers have been raising chilli saplings in plastic cups due to their availability from the nearby Indian towns. However, with the commercialisation of chilli in recent times, the innovation could not have come at the right time. And farmers are celebrating the new idea.
According to the Gewog Agriculture Extension Officer, Bikash Tamang, they encourage farmers to use bamboo cups owing to several benefits.
”It helps saplings grow healthier while also ensuring 100 per cent root protection. The saplings can be transplanted even during the sunny days,” he said. According to him, the abundance of bamboo in the locality adds to the farmers’ advantage.
And this seems to have gone down well among the farmers. Bimal Subba from Samarchhu said, ”chilli plants grow well in bamboo cups and they don’t die, like in the plastic cup. It is also easier to transplant from the cups.”
Farmers in the chiwog have been into commercial farming of chilli since 2016 following the government’s ban on the import of green chilli due to the high presence of pesticides. This year, farmers there have grown chilli on about seven acres of land.
Pema Tshewang
