APFDC to export black pepper from next fiscal

With a view to get better prices, the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) has decided to export black pepper from the next fiscal.

APFDC produced 95 tonnes of black pepper in Vizag alone in the last fiscal and now the corporation expects the pepper production to double in about three-years time. At present, the corporation sells pepper only in the local markets.

"Though pepper prices are higher in the international market, the prices in the domestic market have come down. Keeping this in mind we have decided to export black pepper from next fiscal and are accordingly upgrading our pepper processing machinery also," B Trinadha Rao, regional manager, APFDC, told Business Standard.

APFDC has coffee plantations across 10,000 acres in Visakhapatnam district where pepper is being cultivated as an inter-crop.

"Currently, we are getting pepper yields through 50,000 pepper standards. During last fiscal our black pepper production from these 50,000 pepper standards was 95 tonnes as against only 38 tonnes during the preceding year. During 2000-2003 the corporation has planted another 50,000 pepper standards. We will get pepper production from these plants after two to three years. During the last fiscal our corporation planted another 67,295 pepper standards, so we are expecting the pepper production to double within two to three years," he said.

Even as APFDC is taking steps to increase the pepper production, pepper prices have been coming down.

"During the year 1997-98 we have sold black pepper at Rs 187 per kg. Later it slipped to Rs 82 per kg. In the last fiscal we sold pepper at Rs 55 per kg but thankfully, pepper production cost was very low because it is an inter-crop," Rao said.

APFDC is at present applying traditional methods for pepper processing.

"If we want to export pepper, we should maintain international quality standards. So we have decided to set up a modern pepper processing plant in Visakhapatnam district very soon," he said.