Pepper trade is witnessing subdued demand from upcountry markets because of the lockdown.

The closing down of APMC markets in Mumbai has affected not only pepper trade but other commodities as well. Similarly, there is limited activity in the markets of Indore, Jaipur, Delhi and Ahmadabad which affected the trade, said Kishore Shamji of Kishor Spices.

The prices at Kochi remained steady at ₹307 for ungarbled varieties, while MG1 garbled grades was quoted at ₹327. New pepper stood at ₹297.The off-take was 17 tonnes mainly from Idukki and a small portion from the plains, Shamji said.

The intense lockdown in Wayanad has hit the arrival of pepper to the terminal market as farmers could not able to bring their produce in the absence of local transport.

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