Abstract:
Bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is one of the
well-known high valued crops, consume as a
condiment for use by fast-food chains. The
economically vital part of this crop is sought as
a major ingredient for the manufacture of
premium cuisines such as salads, stews, salsa,
and pizzas. Consumers enjoy this fruit because
it provides vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, as
well as a healthy dosage of fiber, folate, and iron
[1]. The fresh yellowish and greenish bell
peppers have export potential. As a result, it is
regarded as one of the country's potential crops
for boosting economic growth.
In the Sri Lankan context, bell pepper is
extensively grown in wet and intermediate
zones under control environmental conditions
with temperature 21 0C to 25 0C, relative
humidity (>70%), proper air circulation within
the crop canopies and the optimal supply of
nutrient solutions to the root zone [2].
Therefore, the bell pepper producers require
expensive structural facilities with sophisticated
set-ups were known as Protected Agriculture System
(PAS). However, the high initial cost for the
construction of this protected system causing a
the high degree of uncertainty for small and middle scale farmer efforts towards the cultivation of
bell pepper. In this regard, the dry zone of Sri
Lanka has enormous potential for growing
various types of vegetables as it conceives large
the extent of arable land and cheap labor force
compared to wet and intermediate zones. A
pioneer study confirmed that certain varieties of
bell pepper can be successfully grown under
open field conditions [4] with the required
conventional farming practices. Therefore, it is
necessary to investigate the cost-benefit analysis
of bell pepper produced in such open field
conditions. Therefore, this study aims to
compare the gross margin and Benefit-Cost
Ratio (BCR) of bell pepper produced under PAS
and open fields in the dry zone of Sri Lanka
(OFDZ).
