A study tour organised jointly by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here and Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), Kozhikode, to various pepper plantations in Coorg in Karnataka provided a fresh experience to the pepper farmers in Wayanad.

Decades ago, Wayanad was known as the land of spices but it lost its fame in pepper production since the 1990s when the vines began to get affected by various diseases.

“We organised the tour to provide an exposure to the farmers on the significance of adopting scientific practices in pepper cultivation to keep the diseases at bay and improve pepper production, P. Ramakrishnan, training coordinator, MSSRF, told The Hindu .

The organisations have been jointly organising training programmes for progressive farmers on modern agriculture practices in pepper cultivation for the past one year. The effort is to bring back the lost glory of the district as a leading pepper producer, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.

As part of the tour, 25 farmers visited various pepper plantations in Coorg, including a farm of the DASD at Appagala in Coorg.

They were told about the way the DASD tackled the quick wilt disease that had spread in various parts of Coorg a decade ago, threatening the pepper plantations here.

Scientific agriculture practices were followed, and farmers in the area were getting an average yield of 7 tonne pepper from a hector, Mr. Ramakrishnan said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Kerala / by E. M. Manoj / Kalpetta, April 01st, 2015