Crop Rotation
Rotate chilli peppers with any non solanaceous crop (a non nightshade crop).
Yield (tonnes per hectare)
Conservative: 8 tonnes (fresh) 2 tonnes (dried) Average: 15 tonnes (fresh) 5 tonnes (dried) Good: 25+ tonnes (fresh) 10+ tonnes (dried) Big commercial operations have recorded productions of over 50 tonnes per hectare.Harvesting
Harvesting of fresh chilli is done by hand with secateurs or a knife and gloves can be used. Harvesting of the green chilli pepper is done first and a few weeks later the mature coloured chilli peppers can be harvested.
The coloured chilli is the higher value crop but a loss of about 20% in weight can be expected from green to red. Peppers for processing are harvested mechanically.
For dried chilli the fruit is left on the bush to dry in the sun and thereafter picked by hand or by mechanical harvester. Large commercial farmers will only harvest mechanically. Different fields will be identified for each kind of harvest and harvested at the most suitable stage of ripeness (green, red and dry).
Storage
For storage purposes when fresh green or red chilli peppers have been harvested, they are stored at temperature of 10 to 12°C and 90%+ relative humidity. Chilli peppers for fresh market should ideally not be stored for more than 2 weeks.
Dried chilli peppers can be stored for longer periods in cool, dry and well ventilated areas where they are not likely to pick up damp because this will cause mould and destroy your harvest before sale. Dried chilli stored for too long also start to lose colour and therefore their value.