Daniel Kituzi, a pepper farmer at Wakiso, says pepper is a profitable crop that matures early and will give you quick money although many people take it for granted.
If you are looking for a crop that will give you quick money, pepper is one if the alternative crop. It can be grown across most of the fairly rainy parts of the country. It can be sold in the nearest market or to wholesalers who carry it as far as Kenya. And it pays quite well.
For example, an acre of green pepper can give you as much as sh10-12m, against an investment of about sh4m. At the moment, three bulbs go for sh1,000 in most markets around Kampala.
Good quality pepper is also exported to Europe and across the region.
The common varieties on the market include ace, banana supreme, bell boy, sweet red cherry, lilac bell, and California wonder that gives the green block shaped fruit common. These are used as spices directly in cooking food or in preparing salads and kachumbaali.
Soil requirements The plants do well on organic, rich, well-drained sandy soil for best growth. The weather conditions should be cool because hot weather affects growth. This is why places like Karamoja are not conducive, while most of the central region, save for the cattle corridor, the east and north of the country can produce pepper.
It matures in 90 days, including the 30 days it takes in the nursery bed. You need to choose the type from green paper, sweet, hot pepper and chili pepper. You can first plant the seeds into a nursery bed and will take 30 days to transplant or plant them straight into the main garden.
