Kingdom of Red Chillies, Bogura, Rajshahi, Bangladesh - 02 May 2024
Workers sort through millions of chilli peppers which create a sea of red covering acres of land in Bogura, Bangladesh. Countless chilli peppers surround labourers in the Bogra district in the north of Bangladesh. They sort the rotten and broken chilli peppers out to separate the poor quality ones which won't sell. In a line, the pickers - who are paid less than 4 USD for a 9-hour shift - slowly move forward with their baskets to separate the bad from the good after the chilies have been dried in the sun for a week. More than 2,000 people work in almost 100 chilli farms in Bogura in Bangladesh to supply local spice companies with chillies for use in their recipes. Chilli peppers are a major part of the Bengali cuisine popular in Bangladesh and are used as part of a combination of spices for various meat dishes, including chicken and beef.