Bumper chilli on alluvial char

Bumper production of chilli has brought smile on the faces of the poverty-stricken people living in char (newly emerged man) areas of Kaunia upazila.
Rapid growth of plants on alluvial soil and high profit with less investment encouraged the locals to cultivate chilli extensively.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) made a target to bring 170 hectares of land under chilli cultivation in the upazila this season.
However, the farmers cultivated chilli on 185 hectares of land, mostly chars, along the River Teesta.
Now vast tracts of land along the dried up beds of the Teesta looks covered with chilli plants.
Chilli growers said they were having a bumper production this year. They were also getting good prices of their produce, contributing greatly to change the lot of the victims of erosion by the Teesta.
A grower can easily earn a net profit of Tk 1 lakh by growing chilli on one acre of char land with a minimum investment of Tk 14,000-15,000, sources said.
Mahbubur Rahman, a resident of char Najirdaho, said the erosion by the Teesta had made his family destitute.
However, luck smiled on him after he started chilli cultivation on char lands.
"Now I earn a handsome amount which is good enough to feed my family."
Amzad Hossain and Korban Ali of Prannat char under the upazila also told similar tales.