Pepper production in a pickle as plant lies idle

The chief executive of the Zimbabwe Paprika Producers Association (ZIPPA), Michael Chisango, told The Zimbabwean that crippling shortages of inputs had adversely affected production of the spicy crop. National yields have been reduced owing to shortages of chemicals, fertiliser and an overall reduction in quality and quantity being produced on a national scale, said Chisango. He said companies like Cairns Foods was one of the major players in paprika production, and was helping more than13,000 families with inputs under its out- grower scheme. He said: Through its agri-services division, the company is also providing agronomic advice to all contracted paprika farmers.

Chisango said the company was expecting to get 400 metric tonnes of paprika worth US$600,000 from growers this year. He said the companys extraction plant in Msasa was under-used as most companies were exporting raw paprika. Cairns Foods has an extraction plant that adds value to raw paprika, but the plant is idle for the greater part of the year, Chisango said. The plant has the capacity to process 3,000 tonnes of raw paprika with the potential of generating US$5m a year.

Chisango urged the government to make it mandatory for paprika processing companies to be supplied with enough raw materials, as this generated foreign currency for the country.

Chisango also cited high transport costs and fuel shortages, side marketing and competition from other cash crops such as cotton, tobacco and sugar beans as other challenges affecting paprika production in the country.