'Black pepper is highly profitable now'

An intergovernmental organisation of pepper producing countries, the International Pepper Community (IPC) includes Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam as permanent members, and Papua New Guinea as an associate member. It was established in 1972. India is now holding the chairmanship of the International Pepper Community.

A Jayathilak, an IAS officer, who is the chairman of the Spices Board under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is the current chairman of the IPC. He spoke to Deccan Herald’s T R Sathish Kumar after the conclusion of the three-day 43rd session and meeting of the IPC, which was held in Mysuru recently.

How did Karnataka overtake Kerala as the top pepper producer in India?

Karnataka emerged as the highest producer of pepper in the nation as coffee growers opted it as an intercrop aggressively when coffee prices dipped. Pepper prices are an all-time high. So, the profits from pepper offset the volatility of the coffee crop. Pepper is the saviour for many coffee, arecanut and coconut growers in Karnataka now.

What are the best practices followed by farmers in Karnataka which can be emulated by others?

There are no exclusive practices for Karnataka in pepper cultivation. All follow the package of practices recommended by the agriculture universities, Spices Board and IPC. Only the area under cultivation has increased of late.

Recently, at an UPASI seminar, a paper was presented which compared the productivity of India with Vietnam. Vietnam produced 1,25,000 tonnes from an area of 64,000 hectares, whereas India can manage to cultivate 70,000 tonnes from 1,98,000 hectares under cultivation. How was Vietnam able to achieve so much in a mere 15 years? Can India catch up?

In Vietnam, it is mono-cropping, while it is mainly inter-cropping in India. In India, the focus is the tree of the main crop, like arecanut and coconut tree. However, in Vietnam anything from a bamboo pole to a concrete pole is used as a support for pepper vines. In India, one or two vines are grown per support tree, but in Vietnam, at least four vines are supported by a pole. So, the difference is in the number of plants in a particular area under cultivation. Vietnamese farmers also take care of their vines with regular fertigation. Hence, naturally, the productivity in Vietnam is at least four times that of India. In per vine productivity, we are not far behind Vietnam. Now, slowly mono-cropping is catching up in India too, and we can look forward to higher production in coming years.

Historically, India had the reputation of producing the best quality pepper because of the favourable soil and climate in the traditional growing area of Kerala. Is that reputation still intact for varieties like Malabar and Tellicherry?

Malabar and Tellicherry varieties are still considered the best in the world. We only need to ensure that more and more area comes under these varieties. Steps have been taken to enhance their reach under the National Horticulture Mission and a massive re-plantation, and also new plantation drives have been implemented since 2009 to 2012. The benefits can be reaped in a couple of years.

What are the new trends happening in pepper cultivation?

Mono-cropping is the new trend and farmers are realising its benefits. Gradually, the shift would be towards mono-cropping and higher productivity for a given area of land under cultivation. It will raise the yield by four times. It also increases the margin of profit. While the cost of production in intercropping is Rs 300 per kg of pepper, it comes down to Rs 200 in mono-cropping.

How do you propose to expand pepper cultivation to non-traditional areas?

In non-traditional areas, integrated missions under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), in association with the respective State Horticulture Missions (SHM), have been devised. The missions are pending approval from State governments and as soon as they are cleared, pepper will be introduced in non-traditional areas.

It has been reported that popularisation of rubber cultivation in Tripura by the Rubber Board influenced youngsters in the state to drop the gun and join the mainstream. Can Spices Board work a similar magic with Black Pepper in the North-East?

The North-East is largely peaceful at present. There are no youngsters to be weaned away for this purpose. However, under RKVY, the North-East states are a priority and plantations would be encouraged under the aegis of the respective SHMs.
 
How are you ensuring that Black Pepper farmers are properly remunerated for their produce?

If there is one crop in India, for which the farmer is not worried about remuneration, it is pepper. The price is highly remunerative for farmers right now. The per kg cost of production must be around Rs 300 but, the price has reached Rs 700 in the market. Margins are high. So, the worried lot are only the buyers at present. The challenge before the IPC is to sustain both quality and the current price.

How much of pepper trade in India is happening electronically?

In India, it is the physical, old mandi system and it is working fine. But, still electronic trade will be introduced soon for better pricing. Futures, electronic and others are talked about when the farmers do not get remunerative prices. At present, no need is felt for this.

Has the presence of more commodity analysts from brokerages covering the commodity improved price discovery?

If pepper prices have increased, it is not because of any brokerages or analysis, but due to the worldwide demand and ensuring of quality.

What can Black Pepper farmers expect from the Spices Board in the next two years?

The Spices Board is concerned about the exports of spices, including pepper, and not production. The respective State governments are concerned about the production aspect. So, we concentrate on increasing the exports. But plans are afoot to promote pepper in a big way among farmers. The focus will be on processing, packaging and branding of pepper for higher returns.