Black pepper - production & trade

Official trade statistics make no distinction between the different forms of black pepper, but production of peppercorns has doubled in the last 40 years. In India in 2003, black pepper was cultivated on 193,000 hectares of land to produce 60,000 metric tonnes of peppercorns. The state of Kerala is the original home of black pepper in India. It grows nearly 95% of the country's black pepper, with the remaining being grown in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Small amounts are also grown in Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Assam. Much of this pepper is exported, particularly to industrially developed countries. These consume 80% of all black pepper grown in the world. India exports to more than 120 countries.

In India, black pepper is grown under a variety of agricultural schemes ranging from home gardens, mixed crops in coffee plantations and monocrops on slopes and in valleys. Plantings are propagated by cuttings. Land is cleared, tilled and hoed, and hardwood supports are placed at intervals in the ground. Cuttings, once rooted, are planted close to the supports. As the stems grow, they climb the supports. After almost 3 years the plants are over 2 m tall and are bushy. They start flowering at the onset of rains. The fruits are picked by hand, and are harvested 6 to 8 times each season at 2 week intervals.

Varieties and types

There are more than 100 cultivars of black pepper in India with names such as 'Balamcotta', 'Kalluvalli' and 'Cheria Kaniakadan'. They are distinguished from each other in leaf shape and size and flowering and fruiting characteristics.

The same species is used to produce black, white and green peppercorns. It is also used to produce pepper oil and oleoresin. The oil is obtained by steam distillation of the fruits and the oleoresin by solvent extraction. They give a much stronger flavour than the spice and are mainly used in convenience foods.

Black pepper

To obtain black pepper, fruiting spikes are harvested when fruits are fully grown but still green and shiny. Fruit spikes are left in heaps overnight for brief fermentation. The next morning, the mass of spikes are usually spread out on bamboo mats or concrete floors to dry in the sun for about 4 to 5 days. They are raked regularly to help them dry out. Another processing method is to blanch the spikes and dry on a flat-bed dryer which reduces the drying time to about 7 hours.

Drying causes fruits to drop off the spikes. The fleshy outer layer of the fruit shrinks giving the characteristic crinkled appearance of black pepper. Dried peppercorns are then bagged ready for sale.

White pepper

White pepper fetches a higher market price. To prepare it the fruit spikes are collected when slightly riper than for black pepper. The spikes are lightly crushed, put in sacks and soaked for 7-10 days, preferably in slow running water. The fleshy outer layer of the fruit disintegrates. Fruits are then trampled loose from the spike and separated by washing and sieving. The washed peppercorns are dried in the sun for 3-4 days, during which the white-cream colour develops. Dried peppercorns are bagged and stored.

Green pepper

Green pepper is made from immature green fruits. They are dehydrated and bagged, or are preserved by bottling or canning in vinegar or brine. It is used as a spice and can be ground or cracked as black and white pepper.