Economic Analysis of Black Pepper Cultivation in Kerala

Kerala, the southernmost state of India is renowned for high quality black pepper. However, in recent years the area, production and productivity of the crop in the state show a declining trend. The presence of old and senile plants, lack of proper care and management, difficulty in harvests are the major reasons for the decline in acreage and production. Share of pepper as a percentage of total exports has also halved from 5.37 per cent to 2.11 per cent during the period from 2008 to 2012, while the value has also declined from 7.81 per cent to 5.27 per cent. Concerted efforts at replanting the old vines with new high yielding varieties and educating the farmers on proper care and management of the vines will help in reversal of the trends.