Following the border closure and lockdown in India and encouraged by a surge in demand, farmers in Sergithang Gewog in Tsirang ventured into mass production of chillies.
However, today when their chillies are ready for harvest, there has been a sudden drop in demand and farmers are facing difficulty in selling their produce. Chilli is one of the main cash crops for farmers in the gewog.
Some 20 households, mostly in Tashithang Chiwog in Sergithang Gewog, are growing green chillies in over 20 acres of land.
A few weeks ago, selling green chillies was not an issue for them since there were reports of green chilli shortages across the country. Some vegetable vendors in Thimphu and nearby districts had also offered advance payments to some of the farmers in the gewog to buy their entire harvest.
Rudra Lal Sanyasi, a farmer from Tashithang Chiwog, said that around three to four weeks ago they were selling chillies from their doorsteps to vegetable suppliers and vendors at Nu.300 per kilogram. “Now it has been two weeks and nobody is willing to take our chillies even at Nu 200 per kilogram,” he said.
Sanman Subba, another farmer, said that they used to receive orders for 50 to 100 kilograms of chillies from vegetable vendors and suppliers. “Now, we don’t get any orders and the price is also not good like before,” he said.
The Sergithang Gewog Agriculture Extension Officer, D.B Ghalley, confirmed that the local farmers have not been able to sell their chillies due to a sudden drop in demand.
The farmers in the gewog suspect that the drop in demand is due to availability of imported green chillies from India.
“When we asked vegetable suppliers and vendors about decreasing demand for green chilies, they said that they get green chillies from India. But we cannot confirm whether it is true or not since we live in remote villages. I have some 100 kilograms of green chillies ready for harvest but I didn’t receive any order,” said farmer Rudra Lal Sanyasi.
Sanman Subba said that when green chilies from India are available in the market, it affects the price of organic chillies grown in the country. “We have to sell our chillies on loss. We can differentiate imported green chillies with our naked eyes. It is quite different from our local chillies,” he said.
Since 2016, the government has banned the import of chillies from India due to high presence of pesticides found on the imported variety.
Speaking to BBS, Agriculture Minister Yeshey Penjor said that as far as the ministry is concerned the import of chillies is banned along with other vegetables like cauliflower and green beans. “While Bhutan is still importing vegetables from India to ensure sufficient supply, chillies are not being imported through the formal entry routes.”
Lyonpo said that if there are evidences of people importing green chillies, the ministry will take strict action against the violators.
Meanwhile, vegetable vendors in Damphu town have plenty of green chillies these days. They said that they are bringing in green chillies from Thimphu, which they claim are local chillies.
Singye Wangchuk, a vegetable Vendor in Damphu, said that the green chillies from local farmers in Tsirang are quite expensive and they run into losses, as they cannot sell on time. He said the green chillies they get from Thimphu are cheaper and they can sell it quickly.
“Local farmers here are charging not less than Nu 250 per kilogram but we can get chillies at Nu 180 per kilogram from Thimphu,” he said.
Dago, another vegetable vendor, said that local farmers have been calling them to buy their chillies but they could not negotiate the price. “We asked them to sell within Nu 200 per kilogram but they are charging us higher than that. So we are now buying green chillies from Thimphu, which we get along with BAFRA permits,” he said.
Farmers in the gewog have approached the gewog agriculture extension office to discuss and seek interventions.
The Agriculture Extension Officer said that farmers have been enquiring on market accessibility for their green chillies. However, the office can only help if they produce around a metric tonne. “Since each farmer produces less than 100 kilogram, it would be difficult to arrange transportations for them individually.”
Pema Tshewang
