The Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) has described bell pepper production as a profitable venture to invest in, while calling on Nigerians to consider it a profitable venture to invest in in order to boost the non-oil sector.
The President/Executive Secretary of (AFGEAN), Adetiloye Aiyeola, while addressing journalists, noted that bell pepper is becoming popular due to its health benefits, its potential, and the increasing demands of the expatriate communities in Nigeria that use it in their cooking.
Aside from its numerous benefits, reports have it that the bell pepper can be eaten raw in salads; it can also be roasted, just as the sweet green variety is used in cooking a variety of culinary recipes.
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In addition to its use in cooking, its consumption helps in preventing and reducing the incidence of cancer, including, stomach and colon cancer; it also cures or prevents constipation; it is good for people suffering from Type 2 diabetes mellitus; and it has other health benefits.
Adetiloye emphasized the economic potential of the produce while explaining that more than 40 metric tons of the pepper are consumed daily in Lagos alone, stressing that the demand for the pepper is very high and more farmers will need to go into its cultivation to match supply.
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He revealed that a ton of bell pepper on average is between N1.4m and N1.6m (N1,400 to N1,600 per kilogram), compared to most crops, like maize, which is around N200,000 per ton; jute leaves (ewedu), which are around N400,000 per ton, and tomato, which is around N300,000 per tonne.
“Fast food chains are springing up that are appealing to more middle-class people, especially the working class, and bell pepper is a major ingredient for most of the continental dishes that are being served.
