One of the many ingredients for recipes during Christmas season is the Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), also known as ‘sweet pepper’, ‘kampana’ or ‘lara’ is grown for its fruits, which usually comes in various colors such as red, green, yellow, brown, and orange.
Production
1. requires cool weather for best fruit quality
2. in low elevations, it is best to plant on the second week of October up to first week of November
3. can be grown throughout the year in mid and high elevations
4. grows best in sandy loam soil with pH of 5.5-6.5
5. greenhouse pepper production is increasing using hybrid bell and lamuyo types
6. organic bell pepper is being produced in limited quantities
7. production was 11,614 mt in 2006, up by 6% from the output of the previous year at 10,951 mt
8. major producers were the Cordillera Administrative Region (45%), Northern Mindanao (17%), and Ilocos (13%)
9. area harvested in 2006 was 2,281 ha, down by 6.5% from 2,440 ha in 2005
10. yield per hectare was 5.09 mt in 2006, 13.6% higher than the 4.48 mt posted in 2005
Varieties
1. Hybrid: Celica, Enterprise (blocky), Fiesta (yellow), Galilee (blocky), Gold Flame (yellow), Kalahari (blocky), Kampana (blocky), King Solomon (Lamuyo type ), Haifa Wonder (blocky), Nun 3020 (yellow), Orangina (orange), Redondo (blocky), Trinity (blocky), Vega (blocky)
2. Open Pollinated: All Season, California Wonder, Tosca, Yolo Wonder
Utilization
1. consumed fresh as a salad or cooked together with other vegetables
2. can be eaten raw, stir-fried, baked, grilled, or stewed
3. makes an important addition to ‘chop suey’, and meat dishes such as ‘menudo’, ‘afritada’, and ‘kaldereta’
4. red type is also processed into ‘pimientos’, which makes into a delicious sandwich spread when combined with mayonnaise and cheese
Costs and Returns (2007)
1. cost of production was P132,848/ha
2. with a yield of 10,000 kg/ha sold at an average price of P25/kg, gross income was P250,000/ha
3. net income was P117,152/ha
Domestic Prices
1. wholesale price averaged about P62.95/kg; up by 9.2% than the previous year
2. average farmgate price was P34.59/kg; 37% higher than in 2005
Weakness
1. high cost of inputs
2. high incidence of pests (fruit worm, broad mites) and diseases (viruses, bacterial wilt, anthracnose)
3. seasonality of supply
Key Industry Players
1. Cooperatives in Benguet· Northern Mindanao Vegetable Producers Association, Inc. (NORMIN Veggies)
2. Vegetable Indsutry Council of Southern Mindanao (VICSMIN)· Dizon farms· Dole Tropi Fresh
Credit Assistance
Credit assistance provided provided by the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corporation (QUEDANCOR), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), rural banks, development banks
Technical Assistance
1. technical support provided by AVRDC-The World Vegetable Center, Institute of Plant Breeding-University of the Philippines Los Baños, Benguet State University, other state colleges and universities, offices of the DA and DOST, and private seed companies
2. technology available for pest and disease management and proper postharvest handling
Credit Assistance
Credit assistance provided provided by the Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corporation (QUEDANCOR) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP)
thanks a lot for the information.