Following the success of their trial, farmers of Lamthang under Goshing Gewog in Zhemgang are encouraged to venture into mass winter chilli plantation.
32-year-old Pema Chonglay was apprehensive at first about growing chillies in winter. A few households in his village tried growing chillies in winter starting last year but he did not join in. Pema did the trial plantation on half an acre of land at Bogsar recently. To his pleasant surprise, the field produced a good yield of chillies. He says the returns from the sale of chillies only encouraged him more to continue the practice.
“Winter chilli cultivation is profitable for us. Till now, I have sold about 20 kilograms and I still have more to sell. Customers come to our fields to buy as my farm is near the highway. So, I do not have to look for a market. The Ex-armed force personnel constructing a Chorten at Panbang have been my customers,” said Pema Chonglay, from Lamthang under Goshing Gewog in Zhemgang.
The Dzongkhag Agriculture Extension office in Zhemgang encouraged the farmers to try winter chilli plantation. The officials found that Lamthang and Bogsar are suitable for growing chillies and even other vegetables in winter. Farmers there have also been encouraged to grow chillies in mass to boost the local economy and reduce import of chillies from neighbouring border towns.
“In the past, we did not know we could grow chillies in winter and we had imported from India. But now, with the help of agriculture extension officials out here, we can grow winter chilli without much problem and it is beneficial for all of us here with methods of farming. Through the agriculture officials, we got a greenhouse. Growing chillies with such facilities require us to do only weeding,” he added.
Although the practice seems promising with good yield and no dearth of customers, shortage of water is a challenge for the farmers in growing winter chillies. The winter chilli plantation season starts from October.
Pema Samdrup
