Chilli cultivation has changed lots of the char farmers of Fulchhari and Shaghata upazilas in the district in recent years.
According to sources, the char farmers of the upazilas used to cultivate chilli like other vegetables and crops earlier. But in the past they could not profit due to lack of marketing facilities.
Modern cultivation methods, distribution of high quality seed to the farmers, availability of fertilizers, need base training and ensuring irrigation facilities recently boosted production of chilli in the char areas.
Many of the farmers have already become self reliant economically applying modern and systematic cultivation method of chilli on their barren char lands.
The field level sub assistant agriculture officials of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) and the development workers of some voluntary organisations stood beside the char dwellers with agri inputs, seed, fertilizers and the latest technologies to help boost production of chilli on the sandy land.
They are also assisting the growers to create a direct linkage with the chilli traders so that the cultivators could sell their dried product at fair prices, said Baharram Khan, a development worker of SKS Foundation.
Chilli traders from Dhaka, Rangpur, Naogano, Sirajganj, and Joypurhat are coming to hat and bazaars here and purchasing the chillies. They are selling dried chillies to different companies like Pran, ACI and Square, he added.
Omar Ali Mondal, a chili farmer of Khatiamari char under Fazlupur union of Fulchhari upazila, said he cultivated chilli on a bigha of land this year and earned Tk 60,000 over a production cost of Tk 10,000.
Recently, Deputy Commissioner Gautam Chandra Pal visited different chars of Fulchhari upazilas and assured them of providing all out supports from the government to boost production of crop, reports BSS.
Deputy Director of DAE AKM Ruhul Amin said in the district 2,400 hectares of land were brought under the chilli farming with the production target of 3,840 tonnes.