The bigger, the better. That’s what a farmer in the Central Highlands city of Đà Lạt thinks about his unusual chilli plant, the first of its kind to be grown in Lâm Đồng Province. 

Each Dutch chilli pepper harvested weighs about 300 gram and is about 30cm long. Farmer Nguyễn Định says it can be used in many kinds of dishes or ground up and added to fruit juice.

The chilli peppers, grown on a 500sq.m area in Định’s garden, sell for VNĐ30,000 per kg in Đà Lạt Market, 50 per cent more than the price of other chilli peppers.

Định says he bought the seeds from a company specialising in varieties from the Netherlands.

The young chilli has a green colour which turns yellow and then brown at the time of harvest. The peppers can be harvested three months after planting.

Định has opened his pilot cultivation model to the public for free viewing. VNS