Udupi: The price of Pepper has almost doubled to nearly a thousand rupees within a year. But this years crop is expected to be sparse as the rains have been uneven and some plantations are recovering from disease.

Black pepper is an intercrop in arecanut, coconut and cashew plantations in the district.

According to Guruprasad, Assistant Horticulture Officer, the land under black pepper cultivation had gone up from 267 hectares (ha) of land in 2008-09 to 383 ha in 2013-14 in the district. The total production of black pepper in the district is 148 metric tonnes. The yield per acre of black pepper is 0.39 tonnes per hectare.

Satyanarayana Udupa, a farmer in Hunsemakki village, has grown pepper vines on 600 arecanut, coconut and mango trees, in his field. Last year, he had got 80 kilograms of black pepper. “This year, I am getting at least 160 kg of black pepper. It is boom time as the prices of black pepper have almost doubled in a year. Last year, it was Rs. 400 to Rs. 450 per kg, this year it is Rs. 750 to Rs. 800 per kg,” he said. But the yield of some farmers got affected due to late and uneven rainfall in the district this year. Ramakrishna Sharma, a farmer, cultivates black pepper in six acres of land at Bantakal. “Last year I got 10 quintals of black pepper, but due to uneven rain this year, I might get about four quintals,” he said.

According to the agricultural scientists at the Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station (ZAHRS) in Brahmavar, the production of black pepper was affected by quick and slow wilt diseases last year.B.V. Poojary, who grows black pepper on 400 coconut and 100 arecanut trees in his field, said that he had lost nearly 90 per cent of pepper to wilt disease three years back. “But by giving proper medication to the pepper plants, I managed to get 100 kg of black pepper last year. This year, I am expecting more production,” he said.