PAPRIKA

Separation of all fruits injured by insects and/or illnesses lowers the likelihood of aflatoxin presence. The harvesting period extends between 45 and 60 days. Final product is disinfected, dried and packed according importer's requirements.

It's recommended that the drying area must be a clean surface free from pollutants (excrement, metals) and preferably the drying must be carried out over a clean surface (mats, nets, etc.) in order to avoid foreign matter impregnation.

The drying time varies according weather conditions, but it's meant to be no longer than 7-10 days and shorter during summer months. Paprika colour changes its tone from deep red in the harvesting to dark red at drying.

Classification allows us to obtain uniform products regarding size, colour, ripening, etc. to be then, washed with chlorinated water and thus disinfected.

The well-rounded fruits are prone to rot and delayed drying. The fruit is harvested in baskets with care enough to avoid bruises and injuries in the peel, then they are transported to the processing plant to be classified, discarding all deteriorated and infested product.

Before reaching its complete ripeness, the Paprika shows smooth and shinning red, but it's not completely ripen. This may be checked when opening the fruit by looking how off-white the placenta is instead of being red. This kind of peppers must be avoided at the time of harvesting because they contain from 15% to 20% less natural colorants.

The harvest is carried out manually, when the plant presents slightly ripen fruits (approx. 60% humidity) with a bright red colour, it starts approximately in the fifth month after the sawing. The fruit must be flaccid with the point a bit wrinkled, which allows a uniform drying.

The length of the vegetative period from the sowing to the first harvest is 5 months, being the harvesting extended for 60 days.

3. Sonora: Anaheim type pepper characterised by excellent harvests of big and uniform fruits. It produces fruits of 20,3 * 3,8 cm with two smooth cells of thick walls. It's an erect plant, of an average size with early ripeness. The fruit ripens to deep red.

2. Papri Queen: It produces slim wall's fruits, a bit larger than the Papri King but with a wide shoulder, good drying capacity.

1. Papri King: The fruit produced by this Paprika variety has an average length of 15,2 - 20,3 cm. The fruit has slim walls with an excellent red colour and not so much hot in most cultural conditions, the drying capacity is good.

The fruit is a semicartilaginous bay, which is of red colour when it's mature, its shape and size are variable. Paprika varieties actually cultivated in Peru are:

The Paprika (Capsicum annuum L. Var longum.) is a herbaceous annual plant with pivoting radicle system reinforced with a high number of adventitious roots. It has an erect stem with limited growth, its average height ranges between 0,5-1,5 m. When the plant acquires certain age the stems lignify slightly smooth-checked, whole, oval or lanceolate leaves with a very pronounced tip (acuminate) and a large petiole or not much striking. Flowers have off-white corolla, they appear alone on each node and are of apparent axillary insertions. Its fertilisation is clearly autogamous.

PAPRIKA: DRIED POWDER (H.S. 0904.20.00.00)

PAPRIKA: RAW (H.S. 0709.60.00.00)

Product descriptions and Harmonised System (H.S.) code number:

The Paprika (Capsicum annuum L. Var longum.) is a herbaceous annual plant with pivoting radicle system