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'Steady rise in productivity'
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MYSORE, July 25
THE Director (Development) of Spices Board, Mr. Koshy John, has said there has been a dramatic increase in cardamom productivity in India in the last 10 years. Mr. John, whose office is headquartered in Kochi, is a frequent visitor to Karnataka, which accounts for nearly 30 per cent of the cardamom production. He said in the 1980s, the productivity was hardly 65 kg per hectare which had increased to 180 kg. A private cultivator had even increased it to an incredible 1,900 kg, with a variety called Nallani Cream and Gold, developed by him.
The total production has increased from 4,500 tonnes to the present 7,000 tonnes. The Spices Board had released high-yielding varieties such as ICRI 1,2,3 and 4 and had provided incentives by way of subsidies to cardamom farmers, he said.
Scientific research at Appangala, Mudigere, and other places has no doubt helped to improve production, but the main thrust has been on motivating farmers to adopt new varieties and methods, where the Spices Board has been quite active. Both Appangala and Mudigere has released high-yielding varieties.
Since 1996, the air freight subsidy and reduction in cess had resulted in a subsidy of Rs. 60 per kg of cardamom to encourage exports. With 90 per cent of the production being consumed domestically, the only way to meet the demand was to increase the productivity.
The subsidy for improving irrigation facilities for cardamom had been the most effective tool to increase productivity, Mr. John said.
He said diseases such as katte and kokke kandu had badly affected the production in Karnataka, which had 32 per cent of the total acreage under cardamom. But productivity as such was increasing both in Kerala, the major producer and in Karnataka.
Mr. John expects a much better crop next September, which falls under the 1999-2000 year. (The Hindu Business Line) |
