Buyers, sellers suffer as big chilli market lacks amenities

The famous red chilli market on the bank of the Jamuna at Gajaria in Gaibandha’s Fulchhari upazila has been running under the open sky for over a decade, much to the sufferings of sellers and buyers.

The big market that sees trading on Saturday and Tuesday every week does not have any semi-pucca structures for keeping huge quantities of red chilli brought there for sale.

There is not even basic facilities like rest room or toilets for a large number of chilli growers and sellers coming from different places.

They suffer during the scorching summer heat while rain brings added trouble.

The government earns an annual revenue of over Tk 80 lakh by leasing it but the authorities have done little to provide some basic facilities there, said several stakeholders.

The upazila parishad headquarters was shifted from there due to erosion by the Jamuna in 2004.

The old upazila parishad building, part of it devoured by the river, is still there and presently being used as a police out post.

But there are no basic amenities like water supply or toilet facilities in the market, said the stakeholders.

Growers of different char lands under Saghata, Fulchhari and Gaibandha Sadar upazilas come to the market by boats loaded with red chilli before the market day and stay in the boat overnight for the next day marketing. Traders from different districts and agents of big companies like Pran, ACI and Square are regular visitors to the market.   

The trading of chilli runs all day long under the open sky and both the vendors and buyers suffer in the scorching sun and during rain. There is no shed in the market place for preserving commodities, sellers said.

The growers said on every market day about 300 to 350 vendors from different char lands turn up with red chilli in the market and sell around 800 thousand maunds of the produce.

Akku Mia, a farmer of Char Kabilpur under Fulchhari upazila, said he had to reach the marker the night before to sell his red chilli.

“We suffer most when it rains. We simply cover the produce with plastic sheets and more often than not the dried chilli gets wet, depriving us a fair price,” he said.

Muktar Mia, who got the lease of the market for this year against Tk 83 lakh, said it was up to the authorities concerned to arrange basic amenities for the vendors and buyers.

Habibur Rahman, former chairman of Fulchhari upazila parishad, said the then deputy commissioner Gautom Chandra Pal assured erecting two sheds when he visited the market one and a half years ago. But the work is yet to be started.

Contacted, Abdul Halim Tolstoy, upazila nirbahi officer of Fulchhari, said they would take steps to solve the problem soon.