What do you think about starting your own pepper plantation? Learn how to start a Pepper Plantation in this step by step guide.
Do you enjoy a good pepper? This food is known all over the planet for its spicy flavor, which is easily noticed and has the ability to make a big difference in any cooking recipe. It can also be grown as a cash crop.
This condiment is considered one of the most used in the world in the kitchen, having the function of enhancing the taste of the dishes.
The burning and peculiar flavor are not the only causes that motivate people to like peppers, as they can also be grown for the purpose of ornamental plants.
It is not only in the middle of cooking that peppers can stand out, they can also be used as a source of income.
Over the centuries, this plant has been used as a condiment in practically all countries, but in the last decades there has been an increase in interest in cultivating it for ornamental purposes, which has caused an increase in this area of the market, generating good financial returns for growers.
This new growing demand for pepper has not yet been met, which allows setting up businesses in the sector and taking advantage of this phase.
Pepper plantation is inexpensive to start and maintain, it can even be seen as a form of extra income, since it takes up little space and you only need to take some specific care to have excellent results.
Are you interested in investing in an agricultural activity and need little investment? A good alternative is to start a pepper plantation.
Currently, this area is classified as one of the best to work with, being one of the trends for the coming years.
To help you enter the sector in the right way, prepared and get good income, we created this text with great information on the subject and a kind of step by step to start your pepper plantation. Ready?
About Pepper
Pepper has its origin in India, it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1943, when the countries of Europe were living in the era of great sailing, looking for other sources of spices and condiments to expand the market to supply the demand that existed on the European continent. After being found, the peppers were taken to Portugal and called “Kingdom Peppers”. Shortly after being discovered, peppers became known around the world, with the cultivation adopted mainly by the Spanish and Portuguese.
Pepper belongs to an important group of vegetable Family called “Solanaceae“. The scientific name for pepper is Capsicum, but it can also be popularly called chillies or peppers.
Nowadays, it is possible to find more than 27 different species of peppers, which are normally grown for both consumption and ornamentation.
In Nigeria, this food started to be consumed and cultivated even before the colonial era. It was widely cultivated in the northern part of the country but these days the western parts (yorubas) consumes pepper more than any other region.
The plant did not find it difficult to adapt to the soil and climatic conditions of different parts of the country, including the south east, which made its cultivation consolidated, surviving until today.
One of the most striking features pepper plant is the “capsaicin”, which is located in its fruit, and is largely responsible for the hot burning sensation and spicy taste. The capsaicin is colorless, odorless and oil-like compound. It is primarily found in the membrane that holds the seeds.
How to Start Pepper Plantation
Peppers adapt well to the climatic conditions of Nigeria, being a crop that requires little care. However, it is necessary to monitor the planting of pepper from sowing to harvest, in order to guarantee the quality of the final product. Follow our tips and step by step guide on How to Plant Peppers:
1. Select The Location for Growing Your Pepper
One of the characteristics of pepper plants is that they have a good resistance capacity, however, so that they are even stronger and survive the adversities of time it is recommended to plant them in the appropriate place.
Therefore, the first thing to be done is to select the land to grow the pepper plantation, which must have a fertile and well-draining soil, as it does not support excess moisture.
Pepper cultivation has to be done in a flat area, as this characteristic makes sowing and harvesting processes easier, it is also important to have adequate amount of sunlight during the day, since the pepper plantation needs high temperatures to grow.
2. Prepare The Soil For Pepper Planting
For the pepper plants to grow and generate quality fruit, the soil must be in good condition. Therefore, it is recommended to perform some procedures so that the soil is able to receive the pepper plantation.
First, make a cleaning, removing all the residues that are visible in the surface area of the land.
If the site has received another crop in recent months, it is likely that its nutrient levels are lower than normal and there may also be remnants of other plants on the ground.
To solve this problem, you have to plow the soil, which consists of turning the earth over with a plowing machine, grinding the remains and converting them into organic matter.
To avoid the appearance of pests, it is recommended to use pesticides and fungicides, but two months before the beginning of pepper planting. The process is quit similar to carrot plantation.
3. Sowing The Pepper Plant
To start the pepper plantation, it is necessary to choose the species, the best idea is to opt for the most common ones, for example, chilli peppers, finger, chili, jalapeno, Tatashe, Ghana Pepper, tabasco and scent.
Then, you have to open the soil to plant the seeds, which must be 20 cm deep and 20 cm wide for better productivity.
Each hole must be at a distance of 50 cm from each other to prevent the pepper plants from interfering with each other’s growth, “stealing” nutrients and even water.
After opening the holes, place 3 seeds inside each one and then close them with 2 layers of soil. To finish this process, it is recommended to water the beds, which helps to speed up the germination stage of the pepper plant.
4. Seeding Irrigation
As already mentioned, pepper plants adapt better to regions that have tropical climates, as they need high temperatures and humidity to develop.
Taking this into account, the pepper plantation has to be watered regularly to keep the soil moist. After sowing, the ideal is that the beds be irrigated weekly, but with care not to soak the roots.
After the pepper trees sprout and start flowering, the irrigation are increased to 2 times a week, being necessary to respect an interval of 3 days, therefore, the earth has time to absorb the water, avoiding dehydration and excess moisture to the plant.
5. Harvesting The Pepper
After following all the steps of pepper planting, it is necessary to harvest the spices. Normally, pepper plants have are ready to be harvested between 50 and 90 days after sowing (two to three months), and may vary more or less, depending on the the pepper.specie and soil.
Harvesting should be done when the pepper changes its color, showing a soft texture. Remove the pepper from the branch, cutting it by the handle, leaving an excess of approximately 3 cm to preserve its quality.
Why Invest In Pepper Plantation?
This is perhaps the main question for anyone thinking about opening a business. Why invest in it? Analyzing this point is fundamental and should be the one you should start with.
Is your intention to work with a business that has potential for growth? So, investing in pepper plantation may be the best alternative for you, since this activity is expanding.
Receiving more appreciation not only in Nigeria, but throughout the world, which is due to the fact that pepper is used as a spice and mainly because of people’s interest in keeping it as an ornamental plant.
The price of marketing pepper has increased due to the increase in demand, which can generate good financial returns for producers.
In addition, this type of business can be started with a not very high capital, because basically it is necessary to have the appropriate land for the planting of pepper and seedlings. You can even start from the small space in your backyard or a family land. It’s not capital intensive and it’s ready for harvest within just 2 – 3 months unlike other cash crops like Oil Palm.
In addition, pepper plants are plants that adapt easily to Brazilian soil and climate conditions, needing little maintenance, promoting savings for the grower’s pocket.
The truth is that, one of the few unfavorable reasons to start a pepper plantation has changed, which was precisely the sale price, which was very low and, consequently, brought little profitability. Now, there is a lot of profit in pepper business.
Currently, with the increase in values, we have a great business opportunity that can really make a difference in ones life.
Marketing of Pepper
This crop is in high demand so marketing is very easy. It can be taken to any market and sold within few minutes or hours depending on how big the market is and the quantity of pepper you have. You can also supply to hotels, restaurants and even peoples’ homes and they will gladly pay to get your fresh pepper.
What do you think about Pepper Plantation?
