Coloured Capsicum Farming in India 2026

Red and yellow capsicum is worth growing in India only under protected cultivation (polyhouse or net house) and only with a buyer lined up, because the crop runs 8 to 10 months and the structure is the main cost. An ICAR-IARI trial in Delhi found that open-field coloured capsicum gave almost nothing (about 2 kg per square metre), while a naturally ventilated polyhouse gave about 10 kg per square metre.

Coloured capsicum is the same Capsicum annuum bell pepper as the green one, left on the plant until it turns red or yellow, so it occupies the bed far longer. The numbers below come mainly from that IARI trial (2012 to 2014) and TNAU; the prices and costs in it are about ten years old and must be replaced with local figures.

Where it works in India

• What the data covers: the trial was run at the Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology, IARI, New Delhi, in sandy loam soil of pH 6.5 to 7.5, with seedlings transplanted in the first week of August. For hills and other states, ask the state horticulture department or KVK for local trial results.
• Limiting weather: the IARI authors name low night temperatures, heavy rain, hail, waterlogging, high humidity and cold wind in winter as the limits that a protective structure helps overcome.
• Soil: TNAU recommends well-drained loam rich in organic matter. Water must be clean and reliable, since the crop is fed through drip.

Hybrids tested

• The authors judged Indra (red) and Orobelle (yellow) most suitable, with Bomby and Swarna performing about the same under protection. The paper does not name the seed companies. Hybrid seed is sold by private firms; buy sealed packets with a lot number from an authorised dealer and ask the dealer for local performance records.
• TNAU's hybrid seed rate for capsicum is about 200 g per hectare (80 g per acre) in open-field practice; polyhouse planting density is higher, so ask the seed supplier.

Planting and spacing

• The trial used one-month-old seedlings raised in soilless media under protection, transplanted at 50 x 30 cm, which the authors report as 6 plants per square metre of bed.
• That means about 6,000 plants per 1,000 m² of bed, or at most about 24,000 plants per acre if every square metre were bed; paths and gutters reduce this, so count the actual bed area.
• Orient the structure north to south, as the trial did, and keep the plant on drip lines (16 mm laterals with 2 litres per hour drippers were used).

Nutrition and irrigation

• Basal: the IARI trial applied farmyard manure at 5 kg per m² (about 20 tonnes per acre, 50 tonnes per hectare) 20 days before transplanting. Just before planting it applied one-fourth of the nitrogen and half of the phosphorus and potash as basal urea, single superphosphate and muriate of potash at 50:100:25 g per m².
• Fertigation: the rest of the fertilizer went through the drip system in split doses, plus calcium nitrate and a micronutrient mix at 100 to 200 ppm twice a month.
• Open-field reference: TNAU lists a fertigation total of 250:150:150 kg per hectare N:P:K (about 100:60:60 kg per acre) for hybrid capsicum, split over establishment, vegetative growth, flowering to first picking and harvest.
• Get a soil test and follow your KVK's schedule; see fertilizers and drip irrigation.

Pests and diseases

• Structure matters: plant mortality from all stresses in the IARI trial was 2.43% in the fan-pad polyhouse, 6.52% in the naturally ventilated one, 9.75% in the insect-proof net house and 43.65% in open field.
• Fungal disease: TNAU lists wettable sulphur at 2 g per litre for powdery mildew and mancozeb at 2 g per litre for dieback and fruit rot. Follow the label and your KVK's advice for sucking pests (thrips, mites, aphids), viruses and bacterial wilt, since the sources used here do not give doses for them.
• Remove sick plants early, keep the structure's net doors closed and check the pests page for identification.

Harvest and yield

• Crop duration in the trial: 300 days in the fan-pad polyhouse, 265 in the naturally ventilated one, 250 in the net house and 200 in open field (August planting to about May).
• Yield per square metre: pooled means were 11.88 kg (fan-pad), 10.42 kg (naturally ventilated), 6.68 kg (net house) and 1.98 kg (open field). Average fruit weight in the polyhouses was about 138 to 146 g, and plants carried about 13 to 14 fruits each.
• Scaling: 10 kg per m² equals about 10 tonnes per 1,000 m², or about 40 tonnes per acre of bed area. These are research-station results from skilled management; first-time growers should plan for less.

Cost and returns

The IARI study reported cost of cultivation (including the structure) and sale at ₹50 per kg in polyhouse, ₹40 in net house and ₹30 in open field, for 2012 to 2014.

• Arithmetic for the naturally ventilated polyhouse: 10.42 kg x ₹50 = ₹521 gross per m²; minus ₹211 cost gives about ₹310 net per m², or about ₹3.1 lakh per 1,000 m².
• Everything depends on the price. At ₹30 per kg the same 10.42 kg yields ₹313 gross, barely above the ₹211 cost, so test your own price before building. Prices and construction costs have changed since 2012 to 2014, so redo the table with local quotes.

Market and selling

• Buyers are hotels, restaurants, salad and pizza chains, modern retail and city vegetable wholesalers. Agree grade, colour, packing and weekly volume in writing before planting.
• Risks: a high structure cost, long crop duration, price drops when many growers harvest together, and a total loss if the greenhouse is damaged by storm. A fan-pad system also needs reliable electricity.
• Check mandi bhav for capsicum prices, and consider selling together through an FPO.
• Subsidy: protected cultivation structures are supported under MIDH, but cost norms and the subsidy share differ by state and year. See polyhouse subsidy and subsidy finder, and confirm current rates with the district horticulture officer before signing any contract with a structure supplier. A Kisan Credit Card may help with working capital.

Sources

• Singh et al., Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 86(7), 2016: Standardization of production technology for hybrid coloured capsicum under different protected structures (ICAR-IARI)
• TNAU Agritech Portal: Capsicum