[CH] Grow too many chiliis this season? FYI
Allan Balliett (igg@igg.com)
Sun, 22 Oct 2000 08:06:47 -0400
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Phenomenal potential in export of chillies
>From Khalid Yaqoob
KUNRI: Asia's biggest red chillies market situated in Kunri, is now facing
difficult times as the production of chillies is continuously falling year
by year in the absence of any clear government policy to save the market.
The chilli crop is considered to be the main cash-crop and is largely
cultivated in Umerkot, Khipro, Badin and in barrage areas of Tharparkar.
The importance of the Kunri chilli market can be gauged from the fact that
it contributes 70 per cent of the total chilli production in Pakistan which
is estimated at around 100,000 metric tonnes per annum.
The annual trade in chillies at the Kunri market is over 600,000 bags (of 40
kg each), whereas the smaller trading points in the surrounding areas trade
around 300,000 bags annually.
With the exception of this year, the acreage under chilli cultivation has
dropped during the last ten years. which has led to uneasiness and
frustration among the growers as they were expecting support from the
government side. Ten years ago the average production of chillies was about
30 to 40 maunds per acre which has drastically fallen to just 15 to 20
maunds per acre in the recent years.
The factors which adversely affected the crop include: salinity and
waterlogging, rise in underground water table, and frequent attacks of
various diseases. To compound the problem, no official efforts were ever
made conduct research on the crop or look at the possibility of export.
There are eight types of chillies, named according to their size and tastes,
which
include: Simila, Maxi, Desi, Longi, Malir, Nagarparkar, Dandi-cut and
Talhari.
The chilli season starts from July and in August the arrival of crop in the
market
is at its peak. This continues till late November. If the yield is
exceptionally good, then the chilli season lasts up to late December and
early January.
Unlike previous years, the area produced a bumper crop of chillies with
yield of about 20 to 30 maunds per acre. This year chillies were cultivated
on 56,890 hectares in Mirpurkhas division, out of which the main cultivation
areas remained Umerkot, Mirpurkhas and its surroundings and some parts of
Sanghar district.
The total production of chilli in the country is over 100,000 metric tonnes
while its consumption is not more than fifty thousand tonnes. Market sources
said that last year just 1,700 metric tonnes of red chillies were exported
which is nothing compared to the potential. If government had paid some
attention to the export of chilli then the country would earn foreign
exchange.
Ironically, as previous governments had failed to evolve a policy on chilli
on many occasions it was imported from India!
________________________________
Source: Daily Star. October 21, 2000