Chilli cultivation and preservation thread.

[BHarwana]

Chilli cultivation Kunri

 

[Sugarcane]

Good thread, we need to target every opportunity to improve economy and lives of farmers, more profitable the farming will come more people will prefer/adopt this profession which ultimately leads to food security as well. These kind of opportunity doesn't cost much, in many cases you only need to educate farmers about new techniques and advancements in field and small loans to buy tools.

 

[Imad.Khan]

In Pakistan price is under $2 per kg.
Problem is farmers have no knowledge of preserving and packaging.

Actually farmers dont do the preserving or packaging, its usually a processing company that buys it from the farmers and then exports it.

 

[BHarwana]

Actually farmers dont do the preserving or packaging, its usually a processing company that buys it from the farmers and then exports it.

In the matter of chilli it is done before going to traders.

 

[Imad.Khan]

In the matter of chilli it is done before going to traders.

Thats very different to how its done in Australia. Here there are processing or canning plants that purchase straight from the farmers and then package them if selling as fresh chillies or process them for sauces/pastes or put them through a drier to make dry chillies/ chilli flakes and then they get sent off to the shops

 

[Village life]

I have family in interior Sindh. We are Punjabi but my fathers family, grandparents and uncles settled in interior Sindh in a small town called KUNRI after partition so there is the strong connection.
About KUNRI, it is famous for one thing, CHILIES! There is a special breed, called dandi cut is produced only here and is known around the world really.

For preservation, people are really still stuck with old techniques. The crop is laid out in open dry fields after harvest so the sun dries it. Harvest time is dry and dusty part of the year in that area, the crop out is open catches dust and that is a problem in exploring the export potential properly. Also towards the end of that drying process (which takes a few weeks) monsoon starts so it is often that some of the crop is destroyed in rains. The need is for EPB or TDAP as they call it now to step up and establish multiple de-hydration plants. They helped local farmers in Sargodah area with Kino export, establishing countless polishing and processing plants and something similar needs to be done in Kunri for chili. The de-hydration plants will make sure that all crop is as per export standards. Currently, there is one private plant running but we have around 100000 acres of chili farms in that area, one plant wont cut it!

People are taking small steps however to improve the standards. For example, since a few years, an NGO provided the farmers with sheets that they are required to put on the floor before the put the crop on it to dry. That is helping with reducing the dust it collected. Similarly one person i know have set up a small unit near Islamabad, he buy truck load of chili, process it in his unit and is exporting. However non of this is nearly enough. If the gov. can help establish some processing plants, this easily is a multi million dollar export.

Me and my family also have agricultural lands in the area where most of chillies of Pakistan are grown , I mean near Kunri ,KGM , as of today I have 10 acres of chillies which are hybrid, when I was in karchi University I participated in a reseaach about fungus in chillies, i.e root born , fruit born etc, I presented my findings to the agriculture Minister of that time Mr. Nawab yousif talpur in person but result was as usual zeeerooo, few chilli dryers were imported which never went operational , in private sector mian Saleem tried to do something but wasn't cost effective, main factors which are handicapping our chilli exports are lack of interest from provincinal govt. and lack of educated skilled labour, one or two Dubai based Bunya saiths are exporting chillies to M.E via Dubai with complete Monopoly,

 

[Arsalan]

There are very small steps required and we already have agricultural department who is only chair breaking. Educating farmers in crop preservation according to European standards and providing plants for de-hydrating can improve our exports. These steps are crucial to reduce trade deficit and generate more foreign exchange.

To be honest, the field do not really needs skilled labour or educated farmers. They already know about their crop more than the scientists. The only thing required is:

1. Providing some basic infrastructure for drying of chili in clean standardized conditions. De-Hydration plants setup as gov-public partnerships just like they set up Kino processing plants in Bhalwal or Rice processing plants.

If the farmer get to process his crop well, he will find the buyers himself or with very little help of government. As i told you, i myself know about someone who takes a few truck loads to ISLAMABAD, process them there and then EXPORT to UK. What i mean to say is that you provide some basic facilities and opportunities and the people will explore it and open up new avenues for themselves. But kuch tu krna ho ga sarkar ko!!

Me and my family also have agricultural lands in the area where most of chillies of Pakistan are grown , I mean near Kunri ,KGM , as of today I have 10 acres of chillies which are hybrid, when I was in karchi University I participated in a research about fungus in chilies, i.e root born , fruit born etc, I presented my findings to the agriculture Minister of that time Mr. Nawab yousif talpur in person but result was as usual zeeerooo, few chilli dryers were imported which never went operational , in private sector mian Saleem tried to do something but wasn't cost effective, main factors which are handicapping our chilli exports are lack of interest from provincinal govt. and lack of educated skilled labour, one or two Dubai based Bunya saiths are exporting chillies to M.E via Dubai with complete Monopoly,

Nice to know you here. Agree with what you said about the gov. being ineffective. I hope that TDAP, when it was called EPB will take some steps to set up some basic facilities and explore this potential. Till that happens, it will be just some medium level industrialists who will set up small plants on self-help basis to cater his own business needs. The gov. machinery is a mess overall really, will take some serious effort to change that.

 

[Village life]

To be honest, the field do not really needs skilled labour or educated farmers. They already know about their crop more than the scientists. The only thing required is:

1. Providing some basic infrastructure for drying of chili in clean standardized conditions. De-Hydration plants setup as gov-public partnerships just like they set up Kino processing plants in Bhalwal or Rice processing plants.

If the farmer get to process his crop well, he will find the buyers himself or with very little help of government. As i told you, i myself know about someone who takes a few truck loads to ISLAMABAD, process them there and then EXPORT to UK. What i mean to say is that you provide some basic facilities and opportunities and the people will explore it and open up new avenues for themselves. But kuch tu krna ho ga sarkar ko!!


Nice to know you here. Agree with what you said about the gov. being ineffective. I hope that TDAP, when it was called EPB will take some steps to set up some basic facilities and explore this potential. Till that happens, it will be just some medium level industrialists who will set up small plants on self-help basis to cater his own business needs. The gov. machinery is a mess overall really, will take some serious effort to change that.

One thing that current govt can do, is giving some incentives to multinational companies Nestle ,knoor,liverbro. Etc to invest in agri & food related fields for the processing of locally produced commodities, otherwise threaten them to ban their imported food items, its surprising to know that kFC and Piza hut use imported chilli powder and crumbs,

 

[Arsalan]

One thing that current govt can do, is giving some incentives to multinational companies Nestle ,knoor,liverbro. Etc to invest in agri & food related fields for the processing of locally produced commodities, otherwise threaten them to ban their imported food items, its surprising to know that kFC and Piza hut use imported chilli powder and crumbs,

That is not surprising, its criminal!!
One feels so sad when such things are brough to notice. I hope the gov. will take some steps to ensure betterment but then again, how much can we really expect from gov. a hell of a mess have been created and it will take a momentous effort to get things right.

 

[niaz]

I found that many of my friends were not aware that until the early 16th century, chilli was unknown in the subcontinent. For the benefit of the fellow members here is a brief history of the chillies.

Since the Roman times, black pepper has been used as a medicinal aid and to spice up the cooking. The pepper, along with other spices from the Spice Islands of Asia had become very expensive by the middle ages and considered a luxury item. However, discovery of the Americas by Columbus in 1492 changed all that.

Chillies are native to South America where wild chillies are still found. A paper published in ‘Science’ (a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science) about 10 years ago, claimed that chillies were being used in cooking in Ecuador some 6,250 years ago.

For whatever reason, a lot of people really liked them and their use in cooking spread very quickly up to Central America." By the time Columbus sailed into the Caribbean in the late 15th century, chillies were a long-established part of most diets across the Americas

Portuguese traders brought it to their settlements /trading posts in Asia & Africa and within 30 years of Columbus' first journey, at least three different types of chilli plants were growing in the Portuguese colony of Goa. From there the chilli quickly spread through the subcontinent, where being far cheaper, it replaced the use of black pepper to a large extent.

Apparently, the secret to the chilli’s success lies in the fantastical chemicals that make chillies hot & addictive and give an attractive red colour to the dish.

According to Madhur Jaffrey, “Once we develop a taste for hot food, which provides a high, there is no going back,".

 

[Arsalan]

Some pictures of our Chilli fields in Kunri

This is the "Dandi Cut" that i mentioned earlier. Specialty of Kunri really.

Will try and get a cousin to send me some pictures of the process where the crop is spread on ground for drying, that is where the dust and contamination problem comes.

 

[Village life]

these are the hybrid variety sky red at my farm,

Since I am a homeopath too so wuld like to add that chillies contain a chemical which is isolated from it and called capsin , which is useful as a analgesic if applied locally , and also the homeopathic medicine made from chilli is called capsicum which is used to cure multiple diseases according to symptoms, famous topical pain killer jell volteran also contain capsin, besides Chinese herbal bames do contain it, most hot chillies belong to Mexico and called hot peppers,

 

[denel]

@denel please shed some knowledge on your preservation technique for European market and cultivation in south Africa. Thank you.

Thank you friend, sorry had been tied up; will put everything together and recommendations.
I saw the photos; you are using a very different pepper. I grow here peri-peri which is 'local' around this entire region and grows wild from droppings of birds. zero maintenance and it grows for around 5 years and develops into small bush tree. The other is circle of fire cayenne but it is not that good just has a lot of production and good price. Peri-peri commands a higher price though.

chilli is grown in many areas of sindh, kunri being the largest but there also shortage ofirrigation water has lowered production.issue with export to europen market is our chilli is mainly dried under sun and not in controlled environment and because of moisture in the air fungus grows and increase aflatoxin.Eu has strict aflatoxin requirments and thats why we have failed till now to penetrate Eu market.

Once we harvest the peri-peri which is nearly around the year; i have a small green house - glass sheets area with ventilation and racks of wired bins in shelves; that is where they are dried up. it is very arid here around 12% humidity which is superb and no fungus/mould. Other thing, i dont use any ... zero chemical treatments; entire ground where these grow has been heavily composted with cow + sheep manure; then leave for good 2 months for complete settlement before planting. For HACCAP; i do periodic sampling and send it to a certified lab in Pretoria for analysis.
Once HACCAP certification is done, we have everything vaccuum packaged and sent. I do have a nitrogen/co2 based dryer as well - home built to help kill off any fungus; never used it.

For peri-peri, there is a huge market.

View attachment 494712 these are the hybrid variety sky red at my farm,

Since I am a homeopath too so wuld like to add that chillies contain a chemical which is isolated from it and called capsin , which is useful as a analgesic if applied locally , and also the homeopathic medicine made from chilli is called capsicum which is used to cure multiple diseases according to symptoms, famous topical pain killer jell volteran also contain capsin, besides Chinese herbal bames do contain it, most hot chillies belong to Mexico and called hot peppers,

I will post my peri-peri plant one tomorrow.

 

[newb3e]

Thank you friend, sorry had been tied up; will put everything together and recommendations.
I saw the photos; you are using a very different pepper. I grow here peri-peri which is 'local' around this entire region and grows wild from droppings of birds. zero maintenance and it grows for around 5 years and develops into small bush tree. The other is circle of fire cayenne but it is not that good just has a lot of production and good price. Peri-peri commands a higher price though.



Once we harvest the peri-peri which is nearly around the year; i have a small green house - glass sheets area with ventilation and racks of wired bins in shelves; that is where they are dried up. it is very arid here around 12% humidity which is superb and no fungus/mould. Other thing, i dont use any ... zero chemical treatments; entire ground where these grow has been heavily composted with cow + sheep manure; then leave for good 2 months for complete settlement before planting. For HACCAP; i do periodic sampling and send it to a certified lab in Pretoria for analysis.
Once HACCAP certification is done, we have everything vaccuum packaged and sent. I do have a nitrogen/co2 based dryer as well - home built to help kill off any fungus; never used it.

For peri-peri, there is a huge market.


I will post my peri-peri plant one tomorrow.

post harvest management is really bad in Pakistan i have dealth with central market (Mandi in urdu) and i am sure we waste almost 20-30% or maybe more because of lack of knowledge about handling and logistics of fruits and vegetables.

 

[Arsalan]

Alright people, here is a follow up post. As i explained in my earlier posts, the main problem in our chilli crop is that when its ready, it is dried in open barren fields. Sitting there for weeks it will take dust, contamination, the crop wont be evenly dried so color variations etc.

Also told you that some NGO was supplying baskets for harvesting and then sheets to roll out on the grounds to dry the chilli crop in order to avoid it collecting dust from ground.

Asked my cousin to send some pictures so here they are:

And this is Asia's largest Chilli market in Kunri.