Sweet pepper farming is the growing of sweet pepper or bell pepper. It involves a lot of steps which will be thoroughly discussed in this note.
Sweet pepper farming also known as bell pepper farming is one of the most profitable types of farming ventures anyone can do in Nigeria. With bell pepper farming, you can get a Return on Investment (ROI) of over 100%.
Sweet pepper or bell pepper is an exotic type of pepper in Nigeria. Sweet peppers come in different colour. There are green sweet peppers, yellow sweet peppers and red sweet peppers.
The process of growing sweet pepper starts from land preparation to the final step of harvesting the sweet pepper fruits and also the marketing of the sweet peppers.
Sweet pepper farming is similar to the growing of other types of pepper.
Sweet Pepper Farming Business Plan
Farm Set-Up for a One Hectare Sweet Pepper Farm
| Cost of Drip Irrigation | 625,000.00 |
| Installation of Drip Irrigation System | |
| On Site Training of staff in precision farming | |
| Soil and Water Analysis | |
| 625,000.00 | |
| Fertilisers: | |
| NPK (15 bags) | 150,000.00 |
| Potassium Nitrate (10 bags) | 250,000.00 |
| Calcium Nitrate &Camag (5 bags) | 125,000.00 |
| Potassium Humate | 9,000.00 |
| 534,000.00 | |
| Pesticides: | |
| Insecticides (15 bottles) | 45,000.00 |
| Fungicides | 45,000.00 |
| Nematicides | 10,000.00 |
| 90,000.00 |
Profit Analysis for a One Hectare Sweet Pepper Farm - Scenario 1
| Revenue: | |
| 10,000KG @ N750 per KG | 7,500,000.00 |
| Cost: | |
| Rent of one hectare of farmland | 25,000.00 |
| Fertiliser | 534,000.00 |
| Manure | 50,000.00 |
| Pesticides | 90,000.00 |
| Hybrid Seeds | 150,000.00 |
| Labour for 6 months | 240,000.00 |
| Knapsack Sprayer | 15,000.00 |
| Farm Tools | 15,000.00 |
| 1,119,000.00 | |
| Profit | 6,381,000.00 |
Profit Analysis for a One Hectare Sweet Pepper Farm - Scenario 2
| Revenue: | |
| 10,000KG @ N500 per KG | 5,000,000.00 |
| Cost: | |
| Rent of one hectare of farmland | 25,000.00 |
| Fertiliser | 534,000.00 |
| Manure | 50,000.00 |
| Pesticides | 90,000.00 |
| Hybrid Seeds | 150,000.00 |
| Labour for 6 months | 240,000.00 |
| Knapsack Sprayer | 15,000.00 |
| Farm Tools | 15,000.00 |
| 1,119,000.00 | |
| Profit | 3,881,000.00 |
Profit Analysis for a One Hectare Sweet Pepper Farm - Scenario 3
| Revenue: | |
| 10,000KG @ N300 per KG | 3,000,000.00 |
| Cost: | |
| Rent of one hectare of farmland | 25,000.00 |
| Fertiliser | 534,000.00 |
| Manure | 50,000.00 |
| Pesticides | 90,000.00 |
| Hybrid Seeds | 150,000.00 |
| Labour for 6 months | 240,000.00 |
| Knapsack Sprayer | 15,000.00 |
| Farm Tools | 15,000.00 |
| 1,119,000.00 | |
| Profit | 1,881,000.00 |
NOTES/ASSUMPTIONS
The profit analyses above were done using three scenarios (best case, mid case and worst case).
Drip Irrigation: The cost of drip irrigation system per hectare of sweet pepper is N625,000.
Fertilisers: N534,000 is expected to be spent on fertilisers for one hectare of sweet pepper. High quality fertilizers like potassium nitrate and calcium nitrate are expected to be used. A soil analysis is advised to be done before you buy any fertilizers for your bell pepper farm.
Pesticides: N90,000 is expected to be spent on pesticides (fungicides, insecticides and nematicides). You may spend more than this assumed amount. It depends on the pests and disease pressure on your sweet pepper plants.
Sales Revenue: The price of sweet peppers varies every month in Nigeria. At some points in the year, a kilogram of sweet pepper can go as high as N1,000 while at some time, it may fall to as low as N300 per kilogram. During the peak months (the best months to plant peppers), the price of a kilogram of bell pepper can hit N1,000.
It is assumed that 10,000 kilograms (10 tonnes) of sweeet peppers will be harvested in a season from one hectare of sweet pepper. This is a very conservative estimate as the yield can be up to 40,000 kilograms (40 tonnes) per hectare.
Manure: This computation assumes that N50,000 will be spent on manure preferably chicken manure. You may be lucky to get manure at no cost to you.
Hybrid Seeds: The cost of hybrid seeds to be used for one hectare of bell pepper farm is expected to be N150,000. Open pollinated sweet pepper seeds are cheaper; however, they do not yield as high as the hybrid varieties.
Cost of Labour: The cost of labour for 6 months is assumed to be N240,000. This figure can vary as per your location. You may spend more; we just assumed this figure based on our own assumption.
Knapsack Sprayer: The cost of one knapsack sprayer is expected to be N15,000. If you prefer a motorized sprayer, you can spend up to N160,000.
Farm Tools: N15,000 is expected to be spent on small farm tools like cutlasses. However, if mechanized tools are preferred, the cost will be significantly higher.
Steps to take to be successful in your sweet pepper farming venture
The following are some of the steps you should take in order for you to get a great yield from your bell pepper farm:
Check the Climatic Condition
Sweet pepper grows only in tropical areas. The optimum growing temperature for the cultivation of sweet pepper is 20 – 30 degree Celsius. Nigeria is a fantastic place for sweet pepper farming.
Sweet pepper will not grow well in temperate regions or places with a very high temperature.
Choice of Sweet Pepper Seeds
You need to choose the type of sweet pepper seeds suitable to your location. For example, hybrid seeds with tolerances to tropical diseases are better for those growing sweet peppers in Nigeria.
Hybrid sweet pepper seeds are also better than open pollinated seeds because of their high yield potentials and disease resistance attributes.
Land Preparation
If your farmland is heavily forested, you need to carefully remove the trees so that the top soil will not be damaged.
Weeds should also be removed. Plowing, harrowing and ridging needs to be done. Manure or compost can also be added to the soil. Farm yard manure or chicken manure is very good for improving the soil.
Irrigation
Irrigation should be in place if you want to be successful as a bell pepper farmer. Even, if you grow in the rainy season, the effects of climate change may make the rains cease.
Drip irrigation is the best type of irrigation for sweet pepper farming. It can ensure that your plants get the right amount and dose of water and nutrients needed.
Nursery Preparation
The use of seedlings trays and a suitable substrate is advised for nursing of your sweet pepper seedlings.
Coco peat can be used as the growing medium. You can also use your soil nut it must be treated. The use of trays and coco peat ensures that the seedlings do not experience shocks during transplant.
A shade should be provided for the nursery.
Transplanting of the Seedlings
After hardening of the sweet pepper seedlings, the seedlings should be transplanted to the field after 4 – 6 weeks. Transplanting should be done in the evening. The soil should be wetted before transplanting.
Fertilisation
You should do a soil test before you buy any fertilizers for your sweet pepper farm. You can use both organic and chemical fertilizers. Fertigation is highly encouraged.
Diammoinum Phosphate fertilizer (DAP) or Single Super Phosphate should be used as basal before you transplant your sweet pepper seedlings to the field.
NPK fertilizers, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, chelates and other types of fertilizers have to be used.
During the vegetative stage, high nitrogen fertilizers need to be used.
During the flowering and fruiting stage, more calcium and potassium have to be used. Calcium will prevent blossom end rot disease in sweet pepper fruits.
Pest Control
Good pesticides like insecticides, fungicides, acaricides and nematicides have to be used to ensure a pest and disease free sweet pepper farming.
Organic pesticides like biopesticides and microbial innoculants can be used. Chemical pesticides can also be used.
Do you want to know more about sweet pepper farming in Nigeria? If yes, why not post your questions on the comments’ section or send an email to sales@veggieconcept.ng.