The Hindu Business Line : Pepper harvest hit by extended showers

The extended summer showers this year over Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka during the past five days are negatively affecting the pepper harvesting.

The pepper harvested during the past four to five days will loose its bulk density because of the heavy rains besides the pepper catching mould, growers told Business Line on Thursday.

Harvesting in Wayanad and Idukki districts of Kerala is in the last lap, and it is also disrupted by the rains. The main areas where harvesting is on in Idukki are Kumily, where harvesting has started now because of late crop, Rajakkad and Rajakumari where over 50 per cent of harvest is over. At the same time, harvesting in the entire Wayanad district is under way, they said.

The Madukeri region of Karnataka is also reportedly receiving extended summer showers, and as a result, harvesting there also is being affected.

Wrong signal

On the other hand, continuous rains would send wrong signals to vines that the monsoon has already set in and it will result in the new flushes turning into vegetation. It might have negative impact on the next crop also, they claimed.

Whereas, in the southern districts of Kerala and in Tamil Nadu’s Kannyakumari district harvesting is over, and there the rains would result in new flushings and, consequently, new spikes coming out. Therefore, the next crop in this region might come out better, provided the summer in April and May does not turn out to be severe, as such an eventuality might result in fall of the new spikes.

In the Pattipuram-patti area of Tamil Nadu, where also harvesting is on, the rains are said to have been affected it. However, farmers there are selling green pepper.

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