Official figures for the new pepper production will be available early next month, according to the report Business Line.
Karnataka farmers are harvesting pepper
Despite unfavorable changes in weather, Indian pepper farmers still expect higher yields this year. According to them, the crop output in 2019/20 will be in the range of 50,000 – 55,000 tons.
Last year's crop they forecast 48,000 tons, but the final result reached 52,000 tons.
According to Kishore Shamji, owner of Kochi-based Kishor Spices, we are expecting a better crop of 2019/20, with an output of about 60,000 tons, due to favorable weather in November – December last year. . However, the drought in March – April, after which heavy rains and floods disappointed us.
The International Pepper Community (IPC) has forecast that India's 2019/20 crop will be at 47,000 tons. But Mr. Kishore Shamji said that it could be in the range of 50,000 to 55,000 tons, or at least close to last year.
According to the Indian Spices Council, the forecast will be given in about a month. The plan is that output may not change but prices will change this season.
According to the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), in Kozhikode, Kerala state, they are waiting for the survey results to be released at the upcoming meeting. DASD data for the crop before 2018/19 is about 62,400 tons of black pepper on an area of 138,000 hectares of pepper.
According to the chairman of the All India Spices Export Forum, it is still too early to talk about the 2019/20 crop due to climate change, but he also gave the figure about 52,000 – 55,000 tons. He also said that it was necessary to import more pepper due to low prices and to add value.
Black pepper prices in India is currently fluctuating between Rs 300-325 / kg, while the price in Sri Lanka is only around Rs 200 / kg (about USD 2,800 / ton). This has encouraged imports rather than expected in the domestic market, Mr. K.Shamji emphasized and said, India is the second largest importer of Vietnamese pepper, after the US.
It is known that the minimum price of Rs 500 a kg to impose import duties is not feasible, because Vietnamese pepper still goes through Sri Lanka's opening according to SAFTA, ignoring all rules to reach the Indian coast. This will be intimidating pepper prices In India, the new crop decreased to Rs 250 a kg.
* Pepper harvest in India will be conducted from late November to mid-March next year.
Source English (giacaphe.vn)
