Uttara Kannada is known for Pepper Cultivation. Several farmers have adopted this cultivation to earn a handsome income. Pepper cultivation is not as easy as growing wheat, barley or other plants. It requires organic manure along with rock phosphate for ideal growth. Vignesh Bhatt, an agriculturist, has listed the nits and bits of pepper cultivation for fellow farmers. While talking to Local18, he said that the first two baskets of soil should be placed at both ends of the base of the nut. It is followed by a mixture of Rock phosphate and organic manure. He further advises a six-knotted piece from the mother cord. “The plant should be planted in such a way that the three nodes are in the soil and the three nodes on the leaf side come to the top. Two inches behind and two inches in front should be cut and kept,” said Vignesh Bhatt. He also advises planting the paper seed in the higher part of the garden. It is believed that pepper should be planted during the rainy season. The yield of pepper is good in the rainy season.
The black pepper cultivators in Karnataka have managed to pocket higher prices for their produce after output slumped in drought-hit Vietnam, the world’s biggest producer of the spice. It is now garnering an all-time high price. According to reports, the price of one kg of pepper, which was sold for Rs 450 last year, has touched Rs 700 this season. This has made the West turn to India, which is one of the top five exporters of the spice. This has come as good news for the farmers in Karnataka, as the state produces nearly 60 percent of the country’s pepper. According to the Spices Board of India, the country cultivated the spice on more than three lakh hectares (ha) of land and produced 1.25 lakh tonnes of black pepper in 2023-24.
The unfavourable weather conditions are reported to have hit pepper production across the world. The prices have gone high as there is demand in China, the USA and European countries.
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