4 ref.

The production of hot peppers (Capsicum frutescens) in Trinidad and Tobago has been characterised by a demand not only in domestic markets, but more recently in foreign markets. Indications are that the external markets penetrated (North America and Europe) will continue to expand for different reasons (migrations, demand during the winter period, etc.). To meet this demand, both growers and traders will have to become more quality conscious and adopt post harvest practices such as stage of maturity at harvest, sorting, grading, packaging, storage and pest and disease control to obtain pods of the required quality in order to market over longer periods. This article attempts to outline in detail those post harvest conditions that will be useful to both growers and traders in reaching this goal. (ACH)