Hot peppers are a hot crop for these women farmers : NPR
Rajeshwari, 44, grades the chiles she has picked in the fields. Her sharp eyes spot the pale white pods in the sea of red: “The ones with the rich red color are the best, but even though the paler ones are of poorer quality, we can still sell these at the market.” Viraj Nayar for NPR hide caption toggle caption Viraj Nayar for NPR “Hard labor and sleepless nights,” says Pandiamma, 37, a farmer, as she crushes the crackling dried red pepper in her palm. “That’s what our lives are like when it’s the time of year to pick chile.” She opens her palm and shows me the shredded flakes. “And this is how wrung out we are at the end of it all,” she laughs. “But it’s worth it.” Like many women in rural India, she goes by one name only. It’s a searing hot day in Mattiyarenthal village, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In March, temperatures regularly touch highs from 95 F to 105 F. The sharp, pungent scent of …
