Govt offers Rs 20,000 subsidy per hectare for growing pepper

Coimbatore: This might be a good time for farmers with cultivable land and good water resources to try pepper cultivation.
The state government is offering a subsidy of Rs 20,000 per hectare for pepper cultivation in the district. A farmer can avail the benefit for a maximum of four hectares.
Farmers interested in availing the scheme can approach their block level assistance director of horticulture.
Though pepper is believed to grow well only in hill stations, agriculture experts say there are varieties suitable for the plains too and the district’s climate is suitable.
An official of the horticulture department said, “The scheme has been extended to other districts too, including Nilgiris, Dindigul and Madurai,” the official said.
The Tamil Nadu government as a policy is trying to increase pepper cultivation across the state.
Head of the spices department at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University S Balakrishnan said, “This is because a lot of traders are buying imported pepper from Cambodia in tonnes, which are lower in quality and cheaper in price. They use them to adulterate with our Indian-grown pepper which is much stronger.”
“Pepper prices too in the international market is constantly increasing. It always hovers around Rs 700 to Rs 800 per kg,” he added.
“Pepper being a vine can be cultivated only in a farm with silver oak trees, ‘Kalyani murungai’ trees or coconut trees. They also need biofertilizers and biopesticides like neem cake, among others,” Balakrishnan said.
In Coimbatore, pepper cultivation has been restricted to Anaikatti and the base of the Anamalai Hills. Pepper is known to grow in red clayey soil. However, experts say that good quality, non-brackish water, is critical for pepper cultivation.
“Spraying or irrigation with salty water can lead to pepper berries getting burnt. Year-round rainfall or in its absence, water spraying for pollination is critical,” Balakrishnan said.
The state government has also incentivized cultivation of chilli. Farmers growing chilli can get a subsidy of Rs 12,000 per hectare. A farmer can avail the scheme for a maximum of four hectares.