Mattancherry: The price of ungarbled pepper (unprocessed pepper) saw a rise of Rs 200, reaching Rs 62,900 per quintal on Staurday. Similarly, garbled pepper prices surged to Rs 64,900 per quintal. This increase follows a rise of Rs 8 per kilogram over the past week.

The rise in pepper prices is attributed to an upward trend in both international and domestic markets. Indian pepper prices have soared to $7,900 (approximately Rs 668,060) per tonne in the global market.

Pepper from other producing countries has also seen price hikes. Vietnamese pepper is priced at $7,050 (Rs 596,179) per tonne, while Sri Lankan pepper has increased to $6,800 (Rs 575,039).There have been similar price increases reported in Indonesia and Brazil as well.

Although there were imports from various countries in November, the weakening value of the Indian rupee has led to a reduction in imports. Currently, Indian pepper is the most expensive in the world.

The domestic market is experiencing growing demand for pepper, and traders predict that prices could rise even further. This has brought optimism to farmers.