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Chilli production from the dzongkhags not encouraging so far says Agriculture Minister
Domestic green chilli production expected to improve by April
The scarcity of fresh green chillies in the market is troublesome for the people who cannot do with the hot chillies in their meals, which would include most Bhutanese. Some of the vegetable vendors are selling the scant supply of green chillies for Nu 500 or Nu 600 per kilogram nowadays.
To meet the chilli shortage and price hike, the government had approved a time bound import of “safe green chilies” into the country between January and March 2022. Therefore, the Food Corporation of Bhutan Limited (FCBL) imported the chillies from January to February as the pesticide residue was low, but the import was halted on 8 March 2022 due to a high level of pesticides discovered in the chillies.
According to the Agriculture Minister Yeshey Penjor, FCBL has stopped importing chillies because the consignments contained high pesticide residue levels.
“The minimum residue level (MRL) for imported chillies was too high, according to BAFRA. When pesticide residue is high, it’s as good as saying it’s a poisonous chilli. We’re risking stomach cancer. We requested for the Cabinet approval in the first place because the pesticide residual was found low, and we are now stopping because it contains high pesticide residual. We cannot risk public health,” Lyonpo said.
The ministry is willing to let the interested parties import chillies so long as all consignments are declared to BAFRA and tested for MRL.
“If you can bring it within the MRL, it can be distributed. Our Bhutanese people cannot live without chillies. Currently, whether the chillies are local or not, it costs around Nu 500 to Nu 600 per kilo, and it is extremely difficult to trace if it is real local chillies,” Lyonpo said.
The ministry has submitted a proposal to the Cabinet for the price fixation of RNR products, but the Cabinet turned it down, and recommended that pricing of RNR products depend on the market force.
Lyonpo said that to promote local produce, the ministry thought of fixing the price so that both farmers and consumers would benefit, and if the price is affordable, consumers will buy, and as consumers buy more, producers will produce more, and the ministry submitted the proposal, but the Cabinet has declined it.
“The Cabinet did not approve because, according to the Cabinet, it will cause market distortion and rather than encouraging the farmers, it will discourage them,” said Lyonpo.
As per Lyonpo, the chilli production figures from the dzongkhags are not encouraging, but the ministry is hopeful that there will be enough supply from the dzongkhags starting in April.
Lyonpo added that there is also an issue with local dried chillies because when the country imports the green chillies, the farmers are unable to sell the local dried chillies. Therefore, for the month of March, the ministry has decided to promote the local dried chillies in the market.
Meanwhile, a resident in Thimphu, Kinley, 28, said he recently purchased a kilogram of fresh green chillies for Nu 600. He said, “The price increase could be due to the shortage of chillies in the market and the shopkeepers are taking advantage of the situation.”
Another person residing at Olakha, Karma, 25, said that it’s so disheartening to see vendors charging exorbitant prices during the lockdown.
“The price of commodities keeps going up, and now the price of chilli has skyrocketed as well. I paid Nu 600 for a kilo of the green chillies,” she said.
Sonam Dema 29, from Changbandu said that there is no chilli in the market because imports have been halted. “I tried searching the market for green chilies, but there were none to be found. As Bhutanese, we eat a lot of chillies, but there are none in the market. We’ll have to rely on dried red chillies, which are even more expensive. A kilo of local red dried chilies costs around Nu 1,000 which is too expensive, but there is no other option but to consume it,” she said.
A vegetable vendor in Babesa, Renuka, 35, said, “I haven’t received any green chillies since the chilli import was halted. Customers come in and ask for chillies, but they leave when we say no. Many people are passing by and asking if I have any green chillies. The demand for green chilli is high, but the suppliers are out of stock. I believe people will have to rely on dried chillies or powered chillies until the green chillies hit the market again,” she said.
