Spot pepper crosses ₹600

Spot pepper prices topped ₹600 a kg on strong demand amid tight supply. Arrivals continued to be thin. There was strong demand from upcountry buyers. Primary markets in Kerala are on a holiday mood for Easter. On the futures market, no activities were reported on the NMCE. On the IPSTA, May contract remained unchanged at previous levels. On spot prices moved up by ₹500 a quintal to ₹60,000 (ungarbled) and ₹62,000 (garbled). Export prices stayed much above ₹10,000 a tonne and remained totally out-priced.