After having been trained by specialists of Sierra and Selva Exportadora on the cultivation, production costs, and profitability of tabasco pepper, 35 small producers of the districts of Bagua and Cajaruro, province of Utcubamba (Amazons), decided to bet on this new crop and are now part of the productive and value chain of this Capsicum.
The tabasco pepper is considered a highly profitable product, which has as its main destination the United States, where it enters as pepper paste. Until recently, the production of this product was exclusive to the regions of San Martin, Ica (Provinces of Chincha and Pisco) and Cajamarca. Lately, this entity attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation has been promoting it in the Amazon region.
Since March of this year, the decentralized headquarters in that region have carried out a business plan aimed at promoting new crops in the Amazons, in order to convert traditional products to innovative and profitable crops, such as tabasco pepper.
In this way, this institution has also identified an articulating company that will transform the tabasco pepper into paste and export it to the United States. Currently producers continue to receive technical assistance from Sierra and Selva Exportadora regarding the management, harvesting and post harvest of this product. In turn, the articulating company has provided producers with the seed and seedlings for sowing.
Favorable agroclimatic conditions
The Amazon has all the favorable agroclimatic conditions (soil and climate) for the cultivation of tabasco pepper, which is why this entity is identifying new areas of cultivation in the province of RodrÃguez de Mendoza, where they also plan to plant this Capsicum.
Producing tabasco pepper in the Amazon region of the country costs 30% less than producing it on the coast, due to the soil's excellent characteristics and to the low incidence of pests and diseases, said the executive president of this entity, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta.
He also said that the plants started yielding products four months after being planted, thanks to the area's suitable climate. In addition, he said, the plantations can be harvested every day for six consecutive months. This crop can yield 15 to 20 tons per hectare.
Data
Between 2013 and 2016, Peruvian exports of tabasco pepper paste to the United States totaled US $ 2.4 million, which is equivalent to 1,386 tons, according to data from Customs.