Chilies gaining important status for Pakistan

Over the past quarter century, the worldwide production of vegetables has doubled and the value of global trade in vegetables now exceeds that of cereals. In Asia, vegetable production grew at an annual average rate of 3.4% in the 1980s and early 1990s, from 144 million MT in 1980 to 218 million MT in 1993. In addition the area under vegetable cultivation increased at an annual rate of 2.1%, from 12 million hectares in 1980 to 16.3 million hectares in 1993 with most of the increase coming from China. Tomato, cabbage, onion, hot pepper and eggplant are particularly important in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Chilies are an important vegetable used both for salad and dried condiments. It is gaining a high status due to its high cost. In Pakistan two varieties of chilies namely Capsicum annum and Capsicum frutescens are prominent. The hot types are a source of the digestive stimulant capsicin. It has a 1.5% share in the country's GDP. In Pakistan it is grown on 73.8 thousand hectares with total production of 187.7 thousand tons and average yield of 2.5 tons per hectare. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province contributed 0.6 thousand hectares with total production of 0.7 thousand tons and an average yield 1.2 tons per hectare.

The massive agricultural, biological and horticultural diversity has made the chili a significant global cooked and fresh vegetable which is widely used for salads, pickles, for spicy flavors, as food ingredients for various powders and sauces and as a coloring agent which is also used in numerous cosmetics. Chili is considered to be the most liked spice all over the globe that is used in many recipes and cuisines to add a tangy taste to them. Moreover the spices are used medicinally and provide the ingredient for a non-lethal deterrent or repellent to some human and animal behavior. For their brightly glossy fruits chilies are also cultivated ornamentally in various regions of the world.

India is currently the top chili producing country followed by China and Pakistan. World production of chilies during 2007-08 was estimated to be 2.1 million tons. The top ten chili producing countries includes India, China, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, Ghana and Bangladesh. These countries accounted for more than 85% of the world production in 2007. The major contribution is from India with a 36% share in global production, followed by China 11%, Bangladesh 8%, Peru 8% and Pakistan 6%.

This article was written by:

Dr. Rashad Mukhtar Balal, Muhammad Wajid Khan, Dr. Gulzar Akhtar, Dr. Ahsan Akram, Muhammad Zubair

Department of Horticulture

University College of Agriculture

University of Sargodha

Punjab, Pakistan

Gulzar_butt1849@yahoo.com

Cell: +92_321_6211912