People of Chhungen Chiwog of Phangyuel Gewog in Wangdue Phodrang depend on winter chilli production as one of the main sources of income during the dry season. However, this time, some farmers are disappointed with the poor yield of chilli. In addition, chilli growers say the quality is also poor compared to the past years resulting in a decrease in price in the market.
53-year-old Namgay Tshering in Nabisa village expanded chilli cultivation and planted more this time after fetching a good price last year.
However, Namgay is unhappy with the yield which he says is comparatively low this season.
Namgay mostly depends on the income from chilli to meet his household expenditure.
People in Chhungen Chiwog cultivate the spice twice a year and this is the second production.
The first production happens in summer.
“The quality of the chilli is very poor compared to last year. I have planted more chilli this year. So, I am disappointed as I cannot fetch the expected income by selling the spice this season. Last year, I fetched around one hundred and fifty thousand ngultrum, but I think I will not be able to earn even fifty thousand ngultrum this year,” said Namgay Tshering, a farmer.
Most of the farmers in the chiwog are busy harvesting chilli. They harvest the spice twice during winter and this is the first harvest.
“The yield was better last year and it is comparatively poor this time as the chillies have been destroyed by pest, birds and wild animals. So, we are worried about our income this time. We depend on the cash from the sale of the spice to buy ration,” said Rinzin Dema, a farmer.
“Earlier, we used to fetch around Nu 4,000 for a sack of chilli. But I heard that it is difficult to get even Nu 2,500 per sack this time. So, I think it will affect our income. We have to buy everything from the market and also meet the expenditure for our children from selling the spice as we cannot cultivate paddy due to a lack of irrigation water,” said Kinley Wangmo, another farmer.
“We faced problem with the chilli plants during the seedling stage itself. In addition, pest destroyed the chili plants during the fruiting time. To make matters worse, chilli plants were affected by a lack of water supply since there was no rainfall on time this season. So, these problems have affected chilli production,” said Rinchen Dorji, Chhungen Tshogpa.
However, farmers are expecting better production from next year, as the gewog office is soon going to receive sufficient irrigation water supply from the Baychhu stream. Farmers say they will expand production to boost their income.
“I am expecting to cultivate more chilli next year as the government will be supporting with a good supply of irrigation water. So, that keeps us hopeful and motivated to work harder. We will cultivate chilli in the drylands which remain fallow,” added Kinley Wangmo.
While most chilli growers in the chiwog are seeing a decline in production this season, some have good production, unlike their neighbours. The only issue they are facing is the inability to fetch the expected price in the market. According to them, the price is affected due to the availability of imported chillies.
There are around 25 households in the chiwog and most of the farmers cultivate chilli on a minimum of around 50 decimals of land. It has been over six years since people of the Chiwog started growing chillies for commercial purposes.
Changa Dorji, Wangdue Phodrang
Edited by Phub Gyem
