Low capsicum price frustrates grower

After being inspired by watching some videos on YouTube twenty-two-year-old Hridoy Miah cultivated hybrid variety of capsicum on char land but getting extremely frustrated due to low price of the item this season.

Now Hridoy, a resident of Changania village under Sapdhari union in Jamalpur's Islampur upazila, is selling his produces at a lower price to the buyers to meet up his cultivation expenses.

Last year Hridoy's father Abu Sayed Mia, who works as a farm worker in Malaysia, sent him some video links on capsicum cultivation.

After watching the videos, Hridoy then started to prepare some char land for capsicum cultivation.

In December last year, Hridoy purchased five thousand capsicum saplings from a nursery in Bogura, spending Tk 90,000, and planted those on his 40 decimals land.

Hridoy planted the capsicum trees, following the mulching method, and was expecting to earn a good profit from his produces.

He first started harvesting capsicum, each weighing up to 230 grams to 250 grams, since mid-February this year, but low price of the item in local markets has frustrated him too much.

As the item barely has any demand at different local markets in Jamalpur, Hridoy is compel to carry the capsicum to the capital's Kawran Bazar for sale, spending additional money.

While talking, Hridoy said he cultivated capsicum with an expectation to make a good profit from selling the item, but now it seems he will have to count huge loses.

"I have cultivated capsicum on 40 decimals of char land at a cost of Tk 90,000, but earned only Tk 10,00 from selling the product so far," he added.

Zainal Abedin, former chairman of Sapdhari Union Parishad (UP), said Hridoy is the first farmer in his locality, who started capsicum cultivation on commercial basis.

He, however, has been facing serious trouble as the item barely has any demand in the local markets.

Islampur Upazila Agriculture Officer ALM Rejuwan said Hridoy has successfully cultivated capsicum on 40 decimals of char land and got a bumper yield.

But fall in capsicum price has extremely frustrated him, he added.