Black Gold League, a forum of farmers in Chikkamagaluru district, is striving to strengthen pepper growers through farmer to farmer interaction and exposure to successful methods, writes Poornima Kanahalli
Pepper, called the black gold crop, has stayed true to its name in terms of profitability for a while now. However, despite the record prices, not all seems well. Of late, there have been record temperature variations, which are impacting the crop. Hence, it has become a challenge for farmers to sustain pepper cultivation. Added to this, unpredictable, unknown crop-related diseases and fluctuating weather conditions have put them in a state of uncertainty.
At this juncture, the "Black Gold League", a forum of farmers in Malnad, is providing relief to fellow farmers. Black Gold League (BGL) is the brainchild of M J Dinesh and Jayaram Devavrunda, progressive coffee growers in Chikkamagaluru, who have been publishing a farm magazine for about a decade now. It all started with an article, written by Dinesh, on the challenges faced by pepper growers in the region. The article received an overwhelming response and even led to the formation of a farmers' forum with an aim to enable the exchange of ideas and experiences.
The beginning
Jayaram and Dinesh, along with Kenjige Keshava, an award winning pepper grower, B C Aravind, a resourceful farmer, and Sunil Thamagaale, a scientist, launched the initiative in 2012. The idea was to update growers with latest crop developments and provide exposure to innovative methods and equipment.
Farmers from four districts — Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada — of the State participated in the first programme organised at Mudigere Krishi Vigyan Kendra in 2012. In 2013, BGL was able to reach out to 65 people from eight districts; in the year 2014, the number of farmer members increased to 85 people, from 10 districts. In 2015, BGL saw a surge in the participation of farmers, both big and small. Scientists and other enthusiasts also joined the initiative. Farmers came together and decided the objectives of Black Gold League. They are:
* To increase the productivity and usage of pepper globally
* To promote scientifically proven medicinal benefits of pepper
* To adapt methods and technology used by Vietnam pepper growers. Improve the position of the country in the international market
* The biggest drawback faced by pepper growers is an immediate lean crop year after a successful crop year. BGL is in the process of developing a sustainable farming practice to overcome this hurdle
* To encourage migrated growers to return to farming
So how does Black Gold League work? It holds 10 sessions every year. The sessions are planned in such a way that they strengthen farmers' knowledge of pepper cultivation — from basics to the latest innovations in the field. The activities include:
* Raising good quality pepper vines
* Creating awareness about efficient usage of water and eco-friendly fertilisers.
* Disseminating information about proper pest-control methods
* Spreading knowledge about proper preparation and usage of Bordeaux mixture spray, which is an integral part of pepper cultivation
* Soil fertility testing
The resource persons at BGL are progressive local farmers. Some of them have visited other pepper growing countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Brazil to learn more about pepper cultivation and have, through trial and error methods, adapted them to suit our conditions and are now successful. Scientists from the Spices Board of India and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) play a key role in the programmes of BGL as they educate farmers about best practices, which have been globally approved through scientific research. The initiative facilitates frequent interactions between farmers and scientists and enable farmers to get first-hand information.
Vijaya Lakshmi from Mudigere, who has been a regular participant from the first Batch of BGL, says that she has seen a steady increase in the productivity of pepper in her estate. She has observed that after practising what she learnt at BGL, pepper vines in her estate have become disease-resistant to a larger extent.
She adds that she has learnt how to nurse and cure pepper vines which were affected by diseases, instead of re-planting new pepper vines in place of the weaker old vines. Even those who were reluctant to share their success formula have changed their mind after becoming members of BGL. In fact, the initiative has brought the entire pepper growing community together through its activities.
Pepper has been one of the most profitably traded and exported commodity in the country. Statistics indicate that the country exports about 1,00,000 tonnes of pepper every year. Considering the prospects of pepper crop, there is a growing demand to set up a Pepper Board of India in the lines of Coffee Board of India, Tea Board of India and Spices Board of India.