With favourable soil and weather, and profits well above production costs, farmers in Bhola are becoming keen on growing capsicum, a foreign vegetable. As a result, the area under capsicum is growing day by day compared with conventional crops.

According to the Bhola agriculture department, twice as much capsicum has been grown this year as last year. Many farmers here have changed their fortunes growing it, and many believe a capsicum revolution is possible with government support.

Farmers said that about six or seven years ago, a man named Monir Pathan of Kachia union began growing capsicum experimentally on 10 decimals of land at Majher Char in Bhola Sadar. He had great success and the following year started growing it on a large scale. Following his example, other farmers took an interest. Some 150 to 200 farmers now grow capsicum on Majher Char. With favourable weather again this year, yields have been very good, and farmers say they are getting good prices in the wholesale market.

Hashem Kerani, a capsicum grower of Kachia Majher Char in Bhola Sadar, said he grew it on 3 acres this year after hearing that foreign vegetables pay well. Labour, seed, fertiliser, pesticide and land lease together cost Tk 3 lakh. He has already sold Tk 7 lakh worth of the vegetable and hopes to sell another Tk 5 lakh worth.

Grower Md Abdur Rahman said he grew capsicum on about 2 acres at a cost of about Tk 3 lakh. So far he has sold about Tk 5 lakh worth, and the crop still in the field will fetch another Tk 5 lakh.

Grower Md Siddique said 25 to 30 people used to grow capsicum on this char in Bhola; now there are 150 to 200, and the number is growing day by day.

Farmer Hashem Bepari said demand in the wholesale market is high. It sells for Tk 150 to Tk 200 a kg and is sent to Dhaka and various other districts.

The district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said this year's capsicum target in the district was 14 hectares, but about 40 hectares have been planted, including 15 hectares in Bhola Sadar upazila and 15 hectares in Daulatkhan upazila.

Binoy Krishna Debnath, deputy director of the DAE in Bhola, said: "There has been no insect attack in the fields this year, so growers will profit much more than before. Many people have changed their fortunes growing capsicum. I expect capsicum cultivation in the district to exceed 100 hectares next season."

Source: Dhaka Tribune. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.