Pepper farming hit by shortage of rain

KALPETTA: For the second straight year, Wayanad's pepper farmers are facing a crisis as the bloomed buds fall off the wine due to depletion in rains. There was satisfactory blossoming this year across, say experts, but it failed to grow into fruition. “There were no rains at the time pepper plants blossomed in June," Wayanad Regional Agricultural Research Station director Dr P. Rajendran told DC.

“The district received only 604 mm rainfall this year from June 1 to July 29, the season of pepper flowering, whereas the district received 912 mm during the corresponding period last year.” The production of pepper in Wayanad was 3038 tonnes last year (2015-2016), the directorate of arecanut and spices development data shows, which experts expect to come down further this year.

In 2014-2015, the production of pepper was 4,794 tonnes, and it has been showing a declining trend during the last many years in Wayanad. However, market sources claim it is slightly up this year though the rains are insufficient. “Though experts say the production this year would be lower here, our on the spot survey shows it would be slightly higher than last year,” spice trader Anil Kottaram of Sulthan Bathery said.

“Though the intensity of rains was less, there were regular drizzles across the region.” During the last ten years, the production drastically came down in the district due to quick wilt disease and changing weather patterns. In the year 2003-2004, it was 13,897 tonnes which fell to 2,751 tonnes in 2013-2014.