Spot pepper prices ruled steady on limited activities. Leading exporters, who were covering actively at ₹690, 695 and 700 a kg earlier, are reportedly still active and ready to buy at ₹690. But, the sellers were not ready to part with their produce now. Hence, the market is in a sluggish state and that is attributed to the steady spot market, market sources told BusinessLine . On the IPSTA, all the active contracts have shown a firmer trend, but no trading has taken place. On the spot, 20 tonnes of pepper arrived and were traded at ₹690-700 a kg. Spot prices remained unchanged at ₹68,800 (ungarbled) and ₹71,800 (garbled) a quintal. Exporters have reportedly offered Malabar December shipments at $11,300-400 a tonne and March shipments at $9,500 to the international market.

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