Long dry spell brings down farm output in South

KOCHI: A prolonged dry spell has spoilt the prospects of a good harvest for several crops grown in south India. After a bumper output in coffee, cardamom and chilli, farmers were expecting a lean year.

But the shortfall has been worse than their expectations. In most cases, the slump is to the extent of 20% to 40%. And growers fear the damage will multiply if rains are scanty in the coming weeks.

Tea and chilli prices have soared due to a decline in production. But cardamom and coffee prices have been weighed down by other factors like imports and a glut in the global market.

Tea plantations in the south have been hit by the dry spell. Dwindling arrivals have pushed prices up by 30 to 100-110 per kg at auctions. "Our gains till December have been wiped out in the subsequent three months," said Chacko P Thomas, MD, Kanan Devan Hill Plantations. The company's production growth has fallen to 5-6% now from 8% in December. Insufficient and untimely rains have played havoc with the chilli crop in Andhra .

The harvest is nearly over and the crop is down by 40-50%. "The marginal increase in arrivals after the holidays will peter out in the coming days and prices may rise further by at least 10 per kg," said Ravipati Peraiah, MD of Vijayalakshmi Spice Farms. The price is currently moving in the range of 55 to 85 per kg.

Intermittent showers in the last few days have failed to undo the damage.