Pepper farmers in the Idukki and Wayanad region of Kerala are complaining of crop damage due to atypical rains, while in the Coorg belt the crop setting seems to suggest bountiful production. Atypical rains in the producing region in March due to a strong easterly wind resulted in vines flushing out earlier. Early flushing leads to more vegetative growth and less output, experts say. Pepper vines need to dry out completely before flushing out in the summer rains, Kishore Shamji, a leading trader at the terminal market of Kochi pointed out.
Anand MV, a farmer from the Wayanad belt feels that the crop could be lower than the previous year after suffering erratic weather and wilt disease. He points out that pepper grown as inter-crop in coffee estates have been the worst hit. ?Heavy pesticide spraying in the coffee plants seems to have an adverse reaction on pepper vines which are wilting away even after fresh flushing. We have lost all hopes,? he said.
In the northern districts of Kannur and Kasargode, the new berries have sprung out early and are less dense. ?These berries pop-out as they are light and hollow with no starch inside them,? Radha U, a farmer from Payyanur in Kannur told FE. Farmers estimate the crop to be lower by 30-40% compared to the usual output.
However, in the Coorg region, the crop setting is favourable and the farmers are expecting a good crop, compared to the previous season. ?In Coorg, the crop is not monsoon dependent and so the fallout of an erratic monsoon is limited,? TT Wilson, a farmer from Pollibetta region in Coorg said. Wilson and his co-farmers have pepper as inter-crop in coffee estates so the vines are irrigated continuously unlike their Kerala counterparts.
The optimism of Wilson is shared by the central agency for pepper crop estimate, directorate of Arecanut & Spices Development. M Tamil Selvan, director of the agency claims that the damage due to the early and unusual rains will be limited to 2-5%, which could be easily covered up with new flushing in the other regions.
