Idukki: The pepper farmers in Udumbanchola taluk here are staring at the prospect of suffering huge losses this year due to the lack of proper rainfall in this monsoon. Till August 16, Idukki district is having a rainfall deficit of 61 percent this year, the highest in the state. Farmers in Udumbanchola taluk stated that the scenario is gloomier as the region received very less rainfall as compared to the other places in the district.
“During June, the spike of the pepper begins to sprout. It gives the indication of the crop for the harvest that begins in December and ends in January. For good yield, the vine has to get withered in the summer heat and grow again during the early monsoon rains. Due to lack of rain, there was no proper sprouting of spikes, and the spikes which grew are seen void of pepper peas,” said Binu P R a farmer based at Koottar in Karunapuram in Udumbanchola.
He said that due to the lack of proper yield, the pepper produce will come down by half on his 2.5-acre farm. Due to the fall in production, the pepper prices presently at Rs 500 per kg would not decline further during the season. As the yield is low, farmers would be able to sell very less quantity of pepper this time around.
Yield down by one-third, rue farmers
“Due to the changing pattern of the rain over the past few years pepper production on my farm in five acres has come down by one-third. With the labour charges and price of manure and pesticides doubling in the past five years, the low harvest has made pepper cultivation non-profitable,” Shaji Mon, a farmer at Kanchiyar near Kattappana said.
According to the farmers of Kattappana, Nedumkandam, Adimaly, Cheruthony, and Thopramkudy in the high ranges, where cardamom and pepper are grown in plenty, in the past decade the support they got from local Krishi Bhavans and regional offices of Spices Board in the form of advice and through subsidy for manure and pesticides have seized. Import of pepper from Thailand by making use of the ASEAN treaty and that of cardamom from Guatemala and Brazil has led to the drastic fall in prices of these spices in Kerala markets, farmers said.
