Almost every household in Zimbabwe has a small garden in their back yard. In that backyard garden amongst the popular “covo” plants there is always that short perennial “Mhiripiri”, chillies plant that seems to live on forever even though it is not irrigated much. Generally chillies are popular especially with those that take the wise waters “beer” with their braiii or tshisanyama. That is as far as most people think of chillies. Chillies are now grown commercially in Zimbabwe for local processing and more importantly for the fresh export market, the latter being the core of this article.
- Basic requirements
The major markets for chillies are in the EU and exporting to EU member countries require that the primary producer be Global Gap certified at the very least, so you will need to have GGAP certificate.
- What is the best climatic condition to grow chillies?
Chillies do well under hot and humid climatic conditions. In Zimbabwe we are blessed to have such climatic conditions in most parts of the country and can almost be grown all year round. The crop is prone to frost damage and should not be grown in areas that are usually hit by frost, the reproductive phase of the crop tends to shut down during winter if cold temperatures persist.
- Special requirement
Chillies are prone to attack by false codling moth which is a pest of economic importance. This pest is considered a red flag in the EU and any shipment found with the pest is condemned and destroyed. To prevent this, each field needs to be inspected and certified free on the pest by the plant quarantine services which is a government department this is a free service the last time I checked.
- Do I need much labour to manage the crop?
You will need to have a good labour pool especially at the harvesting stage. The crop quickly ripens when the temperatures are hot and thrives under these conditions, late picking will result in moisture loss, drop in quality and fresh weight.
- Do I need a cold chain?
Just like any fresh produce business yes you will need to maintain a cold chain to preserve crop quality as quality is king in fresh export. You will need to keep the crop cool from time of harvest to time of delivery at the market.
- Planting and nursery
Because of the hefty cost of the seed it is wise to send seed to a reputable nursery for growing which will take about 12 -13 weeks before seedlings are ready for transplant (Nursery costs take a huge chunk of the budget because of the length at the nursery). Plant will take about 16 weeks to mature and you will pick continuously for 3-5 months depending on variety.
Finance based on 1 ha at modest yield
- Expected yield 6 tonnes/ha (worst case scenario),Average yield is at 8 tonnes/ha, yield has reached 19tonnes/ha in a good season in Zimbabwe. Remember this is an irrigated crop hence chances of success are higher.
- Investment is approximately 6 000 USD with a return of 10 000USD giving a profit of about 4 000USD/ha. Remember this is based on a modest yield of 7 tonnes/ha of which the farmer can easily surpass with good crop management. Where else do you get a return on your investment with such a good percentage? not even in a bank.
- Word of caution just like in any business there are a thousand things that could go wrong in a farming enterprise and hence careful thought should be given before jumping into this business.
Marketing
Getting direct access to the market is a challenge and the best-case scenario for farmers in Zimbabwe would be to grow the crop on contract with reputable companies. Zimtrade can assist with giving direction on such companies.
Perhaps I need to also mention that the crop requires a fair amount of expertise to grow well to get the required yields hence do not spare a penny in getting technical advice from professional agronomists. The figures look very enticing on paper but require special dedication to achieve. In conclusion if you are in search of a crop to grow why not try growing chillies for the export market. Join us next time as we discuss growing sunflowers.
Emmanuel is a qualified Agronomist and Agribusiness specialist with more than a decade’s experience working in the agri-business industry and development sector. You can contact him on edndsep@gmail.com or WhatsApp on 0783495396
