Indian farmers may not be able to reap the benefit of a rally in pepper prices with production likely to fall or stagnate in the short term. Low realisation for pepper in the past few years has led to neglect of pepper vines in Idukki and Wayanad districts, scientists at the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) told FE. Most of the vines are diseased from quick wilt and the production is likely to suffer in the coming years.
?Majority of the farmers have abandoned their vines in the past few years. The consequences will only be felt in the coming years,? Anand Raj of IISR said. Drainage of rainwater is a pre-requisite for good and healthy vines.
?The vines become weak and wither away and productivity declines significantly,? he said. Farmers from Wayanad concur with the findings and admit that shade cropping and drainage have been left unattended for the past few years. ?From a record price of Rs 220-240 per kg at farm gate, the price of pepper fell to Rs 50 per kg ,? Anand MV, a farmer from Wayanad said.
According to figures provided by the IISR, pepper-cropping area increased in the state of Kerala from 198,140 hectares (ha) in 1999-2000 to 237,610 ha in 2004-05. The increase in cropping area was based on the good realisation that farmers managed in the years from 2000-03.
The fall in price with production increasing significantly in Vietnam has seen farmers migrating to other crops like vanilla and coffee, Anand said. Traders estimate the Indian output in 2006-07 at around 35,000 tonne as and the carry-over stock from 2005-06 to be around 16000-18000 tonne.