The Spices Board will implement a massive re-plantation programme for pepper cultivation in Idukki district of Kerala, with an investment outlay of Rs 230 crore.
According to VJ Kurian, chairman of the board, the scheme is meant to re-plant old as well as disease-affected pepper vines with disease-free high yielding varieties. With the active support and approval of the National Horticulture Mission, the scheme is scheduled to be completed by 2013-2014.
The programme aims to enhance the total production of pepper in Idukki district to 100,000 tonnes a year. The current average national production is 50,000 tonnes. He added that the board will provide Rs 130 crore as subsidy for re-planting. Under the programme, farmers will be eligible for a subsidy of Rs 28 a vine, provided there should be a minimum of 10 pepper vines. The subsidy will be given for a maximum of 1,080 vine or 2 hectares of plantation.
The first installment of the subsidy will be distributed by November-December. The board has chalked out a plan to re-plant 6,800 hectares of plantations in Idukki district.
Enhancement of productivity, which is lacking in India, is also a main component of the programme. The present per hectare productivity of pepper plantations is 314 kg. He said that this would be enhanced to 840 kg. Even then this is far below the average productivity of Vietnam, world’s largest producer of the spice, where average productivity ranges from 1,200 kg to 1,300 kg. The multi-crop planting in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a major reason for lower productivity in India.
The board will also conduct a baseline survey to identify eligible farmers. In the first phase, this will be conducted in six villages of the district.
A Spice Park for cardamom and pepper will be operational by November this year. The board has taken possession of 12.5 acres at Puttady in Idukki district for the park. There would be a common pre-processing facility for these spices at the park.
A total of 124.78 acres for chillies and turmeric has been alienated by the government of Andhra Pradesh in Guntur. Survey of the land has been completed and detailed estimates are under preparation for commencing construction work.
Proposals for setting up spices parks for cumin, fennel, fenugreek and coriander in Unjha in Gujarat and in Jodhpur in Rajasthan and for mint products in Uttar Pradesh are also in the pipeline. The first of its kind at Chindwara in Madhya Pradesh, mainly for garlic and chilli, is operational now.
