Akabare Chilies from Baglung now being exported abroad

KATHMANDU: Akabare chilli produced in Baglung has started to be exported abroad.

Lalkumari Pun from Baglung, Lekhani, Kathekhola Rural Municipality-8, has started exporting over one quintal of Akabare chilies to Dubai.

She shared, “Since last Baisakh (April-May), more than one quintal of Akabare chilies has been exported abroad. People who once said chilies wouldn’t fill the stomach are now following my lead in commercial chili farming.”

In 2013, the then Agriculture Office of Baglung organized an agricultural promotion training program in her village, which became a turning point in her life.

During the training, participants expressed concerns about the lack of market for the vegetables produced by women in the villages.

Binod Hamal, the then head of the Baglung Agriculture Office, distributed one packet of Akabare chili seeds to each of the 69 participants.

With a promise to help in marketing the vegetables produced by the farmers, the officials left after distributing the seeds. This marked a significant change in Lalkumari’s daily life. “People in the village told me that chili plants wouldn’t feed us and suggested growing bitter gourd and bottle gourd instead, but I didn’t listen. I saw the future of Akabare chilies, and now everyone can see its benefits,” she said. “Today, seeing the high demand for Akabare chilies, I have expanded the chili farming to five ropanis (about 2,500 square meters) of land.”

From the single packet of chili seeds, Lalkumari gradually expanded her cultivation and now grows chilies on five ropanis of land. She has also planted other vegetables like beans, cucumbers, bitter gourd, and leafy greens on another five ropanis.

Lalkumari, who began commercial farming in 2015, now produces more than 20 quintals of chilies annually. She shared that the chili plants she planted in 2018 are still producing. Initially, her chilies were sold in the Baglung market, but over time, they started reaching markets outside the district. In recent years, she began sending her chilies as gifts to relatives and friends in Japan, Korea, Portugal, and the U.S.

Since 2022, Lalkumari has been exporting her chilies commercially to Dubai. While she previously sold the chilies when they ripened and turned red, they are now being sold while still green.

According to her, the chilies are sold for Rs. 300 per kilogram or Rs. 100 per mana directly from the village. Lalkumari said she earns more than Rs. 300,000 annually just from selling chilies.

In addition to chilies, she also earns separately from selling other vegetables.

As the president of the Kadesh Agriculture and Livestock Cooperative, Lalkumari is planning to encourage other cooperative members to get involved in chili production and facilitate its marketing. She mentioned receiving significant support from agricultural programs and offices at the local, provincial, and central government levels.