Summer rains give pineapple, cardamom a new lease of life

There was a sharp drop in the cardamom crop last year which buoyed up the prices. With unexpected rains, the production has improved considerably. “As things stand, we can expect a better crop,” said Kerala Cardamom Processing and Marketing Co-operative Society (KCPMC) general manager PC Punnoose, adding that heavy rains during the monsoon season could upset the plans. In 2006-07, cardamom production in the country was around 11,000 tonne. But due to inclement weather last year, it fell to about 8000 tonne. As a result, prices have gone up above 7,91 EUR per kg compared with 6 EUR per kg in last April. An increase in production may bring down the prices. Pineapple farmers are facing a strange situation. On the one hand, the rains have had a positive effect on the production, which is expected to go up by 25%. On the other hand, the rains have adversely affected spot prices.
Usually summer is a busy sales season for pineapple, majority of which goes for making juices. Apart from Kerala, which is a good market for ripe pineapple, large quantities go to the north Indian states. The rains put a damper on the sales in Kerala leading to a loss for farmers. The offtake dropped from 100 tonne by half in the state, John said.