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Karnataka has dethroned Kerala as the leading producer of pepper, accounting for almost 50 per cent of the production in the 2014-15 crop year.
Of the estimated all-India pepper production of 70,000 tonnes, Karnataka’s share was 33,000 tonnes while that of Kerala was 28,000 tonnes during the period. In 2013-14, the figure was 16,000 tonnes and 20,000 tonnes respectively.
Official sources in the Spices Board attributed rising prices of pepper and fluctuation in coffee rates as reasons to incentivise farmers in Karnataka to take up pepper as an adjunct crop. Moreover, Karnataka planters have been taking lot of initiatives in stepping up pepper production and have set up plans to adopt the Vietnamese method of exclusive mono-crop of pepper cultivation.
In Vietnam, pepper is grown exclusively as a mono-crop with very high density planting on wooden poles, concrete pillars or brick pillars. As of now, many farms in Karnataka have been trying this method and planters feel that this model can be emulated in the coffee estates, the sources said. A 25-member planters’ delegation from Karnataka visited the exclusive pepper growing areas of Vietnam recently as part of their field visits to the coffee and pepper growing regions.
According to sources, pepper production in Kerala has almost halved in the last few years. In 2008-09, the State produced over 41,000 tonnes on 1.75 lakh hectares and was the single largest producer along with few tracts of Karnataka and Kanyakumari and Dindigul districts in Tamil Nadu. However, diseases such as quick wilt had contributed to production loss in Kerala. The major issue that is crippling progress is the total shortage of quality planting material, presence of small and marginal holdings, existence of senile and unproductive vines and pest and diseases. All these hold good for the current situation in Kerala, sources said.
Pepper, a major ingredient in the traditional wellness system, is the most important spice traded in the world, accounting for about 35 per cent of total spice export earnings ($2.30 billion) last year. The price had touched a record $9.90 per kg for black pepper and $13.57 for white pepper.
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