Located 15 km from Banfora, the municipality of Bérégadougou also has gardening as one of its income-generating activities. Bakary Joël Ouattara is well known in the field for his chilli. We spoke with him this Monday, September 04, 2023.
Engaged in the cultivation of peppers for more than ten years, Joël Ouattara says that he first started with ordinary peppers before switching to the production of one of the varieties called “sent bon”. ‘ in 2019. Faced with hectares of sugar cane, stands its green field of peppers. “I was interested in this production because it is very profitable compared to other market garden products”, he said. From seed to plant, Joël confides that we ” first makes nurseries before planting them on mounds. If we finish planting them, we start watering them and sometimes adding manure. It is also treated with pesticides so that it does not become infected with worms. ».
A titanic job
This work, according to Bakary Joël Ouattara, requires more investment and self-sacrifice. Also, he hires the service of other people to help him. ” Alone, I cannot do the job. It is young people who make the mounds for us. We pay them between 1,500 and 2,000 CFA francs a day and 1,000 CFA francs for women who weed,” he explains. The chilli plant, according to him, begins to produce at two months. ” If you plant the chilli, you have to wait 2 to 4 months before you start harvesting. You can harvest from the same plants for about 4 months or even longer, if the water does not destroy them not “.
Difficulties during production
This producer specifies however, that all is not rosy in the cultivation of peppers. He notes the complexity of his maintenance, otherwise the efforts of several months can be lost. ” The difficulties are enormous. It should always be watered, fertilized. Often there is no good market, the price fluctuates. It may happen that customers take your pepper on credit. If there is not enough manure, the crop is not profitable. The trickiest part is harvesting. You bend all day and if by misfortune you rub your eyes, you learn the hard way “, he underlines.
A profitable business
Don’t we say that the earth does not lie? The cultivation of peppers is a tangible example. To listen to Joël Ouattara, despite the constraints, the activity is very profitable if you perform feats. ” This job makes you rich easily, especially when you have good production. He produces for a long time and whatever the moment it is bought, since its demand is increasingly strong”. This 50-year-old says he sells the 120-kilogram bag “ in between 20,000 and 50,000 CFA francs and even more », depending on the period. ” After the harvest, I transport the bags to Banfora where our customers get their supplies before transporting it to Côte d’Ivoire,” he details. Although producing peppers, Bakary Joël Ouattara grows other market garden products such as onions.
Norrockom Edwige KAM/trainee
