For fresh use, chilli can be harvested either at the green immature or mature red stage. It takes about 55-60 days after flowering for fruits to fully ripen, depending on temperature, soil fertility, and cultivar. Warmer temperatures will hasten ripening, and cooler temperatures will delay ripening. If conditions are favourable, chilli production can continue for several months. Fruits can be harvested weekly. On an average 20-30 tonnes of chilli fruits can be harvested from one hectare of crop.
Fresh chilli fruits should not be washed unless they will be kept cool (10°C) until sold. Fruits should be stored in a cool, shaded, dry place until they are sold. At typical tropical ambient temperature and humidity (28°C and 60% RH), fruits will last unspoiled for 1-2 weeks. Anthracnose is the major cause of fresh fruit spoilage.
For dry chilli, it's important to preserve the red color of the mature fruits. Drying them in the sun is a common practice, but this tends to bleach the fruits, and rainfall and dew promote fruit rot. Solar dryers have been developed, but they require fairly constant sunshine. Cloudy weather increases the drying time and the risk of post harvest spoilage. Blanching the fruits in hot water (65°C) for 3 minutes and removing the pedicel and calyx can decrease drying time, increase color retention, and reduce post harvest losses. In general, cultivars with low dry matter content and thick flesh are difficult to dry and are generally sold fresh. If ovens are available, dry fruits for 8 hours at 60°C, then reduce the temperature to 50°C and continue until fruits are completely dry (about 10 more hours).