Pepper growers stare at low yield in Sirumalai region of Dindigul

DINDIGUL

As the price of pepper has risen due to dip in yield this year, pepper farmers of Sirumalai in Dindigul have a mixed-feelings about the business this season.

P. Kumaran, a 30-year-old pepper grower in Sirumalai and the president of one of the five sub-committees of the Sirumalai Horticulture Farmers’ Association, said that the cultivation was affected due to heavy rains last year. “The intercrop is cultivated for seven months. At the beginning of the crop cultivation last year, heavy continuous showers hindered a healthy growth. Drizzles are optimum for the crop’s growth,” he said.

Prolonged wetness led to the decay of half of the vines in Mr. Kumaran’s five-acre land. It was no different in the many pepper farms spread across the region including hamlets like Pazhaiyur, Kadamankulam, Pudur, Thenmalai and Ponnaruvi etc.

During a year of good yield, Mr Kumaran’s produce would total upto 2 tonne. “But I was only able to harvest 25 kg of pepper this year. Despite it all, traders are picking up the produce for a cost ranging between ₹400 and ₹600 per kg against the usual ₹150 to ₹300 per kg,” he said. Yet it is difficult to meet the cost invested for cultivation this year, he lamented.

R. Dhayalan, a third generation pepper grower in the area, said that the yield has been low since the Gaja cyclone hit four year ago. “Vines have been affected and it nearly takes about five years for it to become healthy. Since the vines mostly crawl up the silver oak trees they have been affected by viral diseases like bunchy top and quick wilt diseases and some others that are unknown to us,” he said.

Four years back, Mr Dhayalan said that he harvested 50 kg of green pepper from a single healthy vine given the best rainfall pattern and climatic conditions. “But the same vine has yielded very meagre harvest this couple of years,” he lamented.

He said that it has been more than eight months since there was any awareness meeting held by the Spices Board. “They can hold regular meetings to introduce new techniques to improve cultivation, create awareness on disease management and recommend varieties of pepper to grow for suitable climatic conditions etc,” he suggested.