Lira — Lango and Acholi farmers formally renowned for cotton growing are switching to chili growing as a cash crop.

The demand for chili is expanding in Lango, Acholi West Nile and Teso.

The market for chilies is readily available in Ugandan supermarkets and open markets, but can also work as fertilizers and pesticides.

Researchers at the Makerere University soil science department found that when chilies are mixed with kitchen ashes, they are effective in killing farm pests like banana weevils.

Pour concentrated mixture at the base of the banana. When mixed in water, hot chillies can also be used in spraying vegetables, to kill off larvae of some pests.

There are a number of chillies varieties being grown in Uganda. Apart from the traditional wild types which were domesticated, farmers grow some exotic types.

Most are readily available and some seed companies like Elgon Seed Company, East African Seeds have the seeds.

North East Chilli Producers Association (NECPA), the promoter of chili production, expects to get about 250 tones of Ugandan's Red Eye Chili and Long Kayen a new variety introduced.

"Commercial chili growing started small but there are now 150 local farmers groups with 3,750 farmers in Lango, Acholi and Teso who are growing chili on a commercial basis.

There are a lot on interest from farmers and next year we are doubling our production," said Hellen Acam, the director NECPA.

Compared to other crops grown in the north, chili fetches higher price unlike sunflower, cotton, simsim, maize and millet.

She added that chili marketability is at 50% higher than any other crop grown in the north, as in organic cotton that used to be grown in Oyam and Apac was stop due to the spraying of DDT to cub down malaria leaving farmers with limited alternative other than resorting to chilli growing.

Oyam and Apac used to produce 3,000 bails of organic cotton that is about 400 to 500 tones but these farmers are now in chilli growing for cash crop.

The Ugandans Birds Red Eye Chilli is the best in world market because of its capstan and pungency (coloring and the spice) the demand is very high with readily available market in United States of America, Germany, France and Asia.

So far no crop can be compare to chilli in the north in term of revenue and yield. It's a high value perennial crop which is giving farmers good income.

You can interplant with crops like beans, Soya beans, papaws and other vegetable crops and you still realized the best yield as it does not destroy the soil. It adapts to weather changes, easy to manage and just take four months to harvest.

"Last season I got sh1.6m from my first season of planting chilli but now am earning about sh15m seasonally from my chilli garden."

Ceaser Okello a chilli farmer of Ajeri-jeri parish in Ngai Sub County Oyam district said he expects about sh20m this season from the ten acre of chilli he planted.

The leading producers in the north are Ngai and Otwal Sub Counties in Oyam, others are Abako, Barr and Amac Aromo, Adekokwok, Amugo, Okwang and Omoro Sub Counties in Lira, Puranga in Pader, Gulu and most parts of Kitgum in Acholi region.

Other areas of commercial production are Arua district in West Nile and Amuria, Soroti, Katakwi and Kaberamaido in Teso are also coming up very fast in commercial chilli production.

Acam said farmers in Lango, Acholi and Teso are expecting an income of about sh875m this season from the sales of Chilli.

Acam said with the partnership from Stability for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda (SPRING) project, they are committed to buying all chilli produced in these areas.

"With this support we intend to be a leading exporter of chilli in African continent come 2015". She added that the project will increase production of quality chilli, increase access to market and economic cooperation.

Other partners on board are Trust Fund for Victims which is supporting LRA war victim in Lira and Amuria with economic activities like chilli seeds, goats rearing and psychosocial support.

Acam urges the government support chilli production if the north is to cope up with other regions.

"Farmers support like the solar dryers and storage is still the challenge and human resource', she said.