The challenges of pepper farming include the use of low quality seeds, substandard fertilizer, lack of irrigation and poor soil fertility etc.
To make gains in pepper farming in Nigeria, there should be ways or strategies to tackle the challenges that may hamper the success of your pepper farming venture.
For instance, the planting of substandard pepper seeds can lead to a significantly low crop yield.
Challenges of pepper farming in Nigeria
The following are the challenges of pepper farming in Nigeria:
- Planting of Substandard Seeds
- Poor Soil
- Lack of Irrigation
- The use of substandard fertilizers
- Poor pest and disease management
- Poor weed management practices
- Non-staking of pepper plants
- Careless usage of fertilizers
- Late harvesting of matured pepper fruits
- Use of substandard pesticides
The planting of substandard seeds
The planting of low quality pepper seed is one of the problems of pepper farming in Nigeria.
Farmers in Nigeria often prefer the use of open pollinated pepper varieties because they are cheap. These seeds may not have good pests and diseases resistance like hybrid seeds. Open pollinated pepper seeds also have a lesser yield.
You are advised to plant high quality hybrid pepper seeds like Piquante F1, Avenir F1 and Supe Habanero F1 seeds etc.
Poor Soil
The soil in most parts of Africa including Nigeria is poor. The poor fertility of the soil in Nigeria is one of the challenges of pepper farming.
A soil test has to be done to show the nutrients level of the soil. The soil test result will also enable an agronomist to design an agronomic plan for you.
Lack of Irrigation
Pepper fruits contain about 90% of water. Relying on the rains may spell doom for your pepper farming business. The lack of irrigation or inadequate water supply is one of the problems of pepper farming in Nigeria.
Irrigation facility like drip irrigation should be used to guarantee water supply to your pepper crop.
The Use of Substandard Fertilizers
One of the chellanges faced by all famers including pepper farmers in Nigeria is the sheer volume of low quality fertilizers.
You should only buy your fertilizers from credible vendors. You should also do a nutrient analysis of the fertilizers you want to use for your pepper farm.
Poor Pest and Disease Management
Poor pest and disease management is one of the problems faced by pepper farmers in Nigeria. Pepper plants are susceptible to a lot of pests and diseases.
You should know the right type of pesticides to use to manage pests and diseases on pepper plants.
Poor Weeds’ Management Practices
Weeds can significantly reduce the yield of pepper. Herbicides can be used to manage weeds. Weeds can also be removed mechanically or by hand.
Mulches can be used to cover the soil to prevent the growth of weeds.
Non-staking of pepper plants
When pepper fruits touch the soil, the fruits can get infected and rot away. The parts of the pepper plants touching the soil can also get infected. Staking makes the pepper plants grow in a vertical way.
Staking helps in increasing the yield of pepper plants.
Careless usage of fertilizers
It is wrong to think that the use of a lot of fertilizers will lead to a high yield in pepper farming. Over use of fertilizers can harm your plants and lead to a low crop yield.
Late harvesting of pepper fruits
If you harvest your peppers late, the pepper plants may be stressed and this may lead to a low yield, also, late harvesting of peppers lead to the plants to produce lesser number of peppers.
Peppers should be harvested every 2 – 5 days.
Usage of substandard pesticides
The use of the wrong type of pesticides can also be a problem in pepper farming. You should always use the right type of fertilizers for your pepper plants.
Do you experience any challenges on your pepper farm? If yes, why not contact us through sales@veggieconcept.ng.
Read our latest article on best fungicide for pepper here.