Chilli-Harvest and storage

Chillies are harvested at two purposes, one for green vegetables and the other for dry chillies.

Fruits for green vegetables are harvested when they are fully mature and before they change colour from green to red. The crop reaches this stage in about 2 months after transplanting.

Fruits for dry chillies are harvested when the colour changes from green to red. Ripe fruits are picked along with stalks. The fruits are then heaped indoors for 3 or 4 days. This practice helps in uniform development of red colour.

The fruits are then dried in the sun for 4 to 5 days, before marketing.