Bangladesh’s Sea of Red Chillies

Around 3,000 metric tonnes of quality red chilli peppers are farmed each year, the same weight as 750 full grown elephants, in Gabtoli, Bangladesh.

Farmers have used the same methods for centuries, producing the spicy peppers which will go to every corner of the world.

Men and women from the local area work 10 hours a day, drying the chillies in sunlight and tirelessly sifting through the vast expanse of scarlet to pick the most superior fruits.

Abdul Momin, 27, a photographer from nearby Bogra, Bangladesh, travelled to the farms to capture the endless sea of red.

Abdul said: "Every year floods make the land extremely fertile, enough to grow a huge amount of chillies.

"After one or two months of sowing seed the chilli plants get their flowers and it takes another month until they are ready for picking.

"In the meantime, farmers pick and sell the green peppers which have not ripened. The rest of the green chillies gradually turn red.

"After turning red they lose their demand in local markets and the price drops as people don't use raw red chillies in curries or other dishes because of losing some of their pungency.

"Farmers would then sell them to processing farm owners who spread them on the floor and let them dry in the sunlight.

"After three to five days of drying in sunlight, they start to sort them. Workers pack the chillies and send them to various spice companies around the world.

"It feels amazing to see so many acres of land just covered in red - it's very eye-catching indeed."