Starting last year after the closure of the international border, scarcity of chilli hit the market triggering inflated price. The irony; chilli is not supposed to have any connection with border closure, at least legally, as the import of chilli is banned since 2016. But many felt the shortage and some even ventured into commercial farming of the ‘green gold’ sensing a good market. However, when the time is ripe to market their hard work, the market already has enough chilli and the farmers think that officials at border gates are colluding with vegetable vendors to illegally import chilli.
White Tara and Tobkyed Farm ventured into commercial mega winter chilli farming by leasing private fallow land in an area of 30 acres and 27 acres respectively in Dawathang village under Chhuzanggang Gewog in Sarpang when the country experienced a chilli shortage during the first lockdown last year. However, they are now concerned about not being able to market their farm produce as there is enough chilli in the markets across the country. They alleged that vegetable vendors are colluding with officials at the border gate in smuggling chilli in.
“We sensed they are into business in partnership. We hope our civil servants are not involved in such practice and if they are into such practice they should refrain from it. Being Bhutanese, people should decide whether to consume local products or imported ones,” said Sonam Gyemtsho of Tobkyed Farm in Chhuzanggang.
“While we are ready to supply 200-500 kgs of chilli, the vendors ask for only 10 to 20 kgs for authentication letter only. People in Gelegphu are not buying from us saying that there is an ample supply from other areas. We are in dilemma. With spending so much into farming chilli in mass, and the market flooded with imported chillies, we have no authority to monitor,” said Singye Tshering of White Tara Farm in Chhuzanggang.
However, the office of the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) in Gelegphu said the entire allegations are baseless. An official from the BAFRA said his office is having a difficult time monitoring the import of illegal products into the country with limited manpower challenged by the porous borders. He said, even then, they have intercepted 336 kgs of imported chillies on inspection at border gate recently belonging to one of the vendors in Gelegphu and was fined more than Nu 500,000.
According to Lham Dorji, the Incharge of the BAFRA in Gelegphu, vegetable vendors smuggle chillies into the country by mixing it with other vegetables. “They hide the chillies inside the vegetable basket by covering with various vegetables like carrot, radish, and ladyfinger.” He said even with only eight staff, the office is monitoring and intercepting such illegal imports.
Meanwhile, the White Tara Farm said its chillies are getting matured by the day and the shortage of labourer is hampering the harvest.
“We don’t get labourers now. At the initial stage of our farming, when it was not areca nut and paddy farming season, there was no issue of not finding helping hands. At that time we could get 40 to 50 labourers but now it is very difficult to have even get 10 labourers,” said Singye Tshering.
The White Tara Farm harvests around three tonnes of chillies in a week and markets it to Thimphu only. The Chhudzergang Gewog Administration facilitated a total of 112 acres of private fallow land on lease for three youth groups for mass vegetables farming with consent from the landowners last year for a period of three to five years.
Karma Wangdi
