Last year, Zimbabwe earned more than US$8 million from export of paprika (Capsicum annum). While commercial production is little more than ten years old in Zimbabwe, in that time the country has earned an international reputation both for the high quality of its product, and the environmentally sound conditions under which it is grown. There are now 350 growers producing more than 12,000 tonnes of the spice every year, roughly half of which is bought for use as a food colorant. But achieving the quality that has led to such significant export earnings has not been easy. Establishing and maintaining the standards required by the international market has required painstaking research, continuous extension and investment.
The Hy-Veld Seed Company is one of the organisations that have undertaken this work. A pioneer in paprika production in Zimbabwe, the company began growing the crop commercially twelve years ago. Based in the north west of Zimbabwe, it has arguably the best agro-laboratory in the country and the only ASTA (American Spice Trade Association) accredited facility in southern Africa. The company represents the interests of the paprika growers, and provides reliable information on everything paprika-related to farmers and other stakeholders. Successful paprika growing requires a high level of farmer expertise, and Hy-Veld employs ten agronomists who travel widely to conduct on-farm extension. Quality in paprika is measured on a scale of colour intensity, defined by the ASTA, and while growers are to be found in most parts of the country, those living in warmer areas tend to do best, with the highest yields and quality.
"People are becoming more and more aware of the potentially carcinogenic artificials", he says. "As the world is going green, more people are looking for food products on the supermarket shelf which have no artificial colouring".
