Agriculturist gets Plant Genome Saviour Community Award

Progressive farmer Napanda Poonacha has been conferred with the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award, by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority.

Poonacha and his wife Rati Poonacha received the award during a function held in New Delhi recently.

Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of State for Agriculture Shobha Karandlaje presented the award.

Poonacha was presented the award for his work towards the preservation of the ‘Adi’ variety of pepper.

Poonacha has also discovered the varieties of pepper that grow in places with heavy rain, misty atmosphere and in hilly regions like Kodagu.

He is based in Garvale Gram Panchayat limits on the Western Ghats, the climate which is less suitable for growing pepper.

After many years of research, Poonacha discovered the ‘Adi’ variety of pepper that can be grown in the peculiar climate.

The black pepper is known for its unique aroma and medicinal properties and is referred to as black diamond.

Poonacha introduced the Adi variety of pepper on a large scale, among the growers.

The Adi variety of pepper has obtained a patent from the Indian Institute of Spices Research. It has been certified that the special variety grows only in places of heavy rainfall.

The size of normal pepper will be 4-5 mm and the size of Adi black pepper is 6-7 mm. Adi pepper is immune to diseases and the flowers will appear in the vines between November and February. Pepper seeds are green, yellow and red in colour.

Napanda N Poonacha said that Adi pepper is the fruit of his 20 years of research. The crop is the best suited for Kodagu.

The maintenance cost is less as it is less affected by diseases, he said.