Sri Lankan Black Pepper
Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum L.) is from the family of Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is dried. Used as a spice for seasoning. Sri Lankan black pepper has a higher piperine content which means it can fetch a premium price in the international market.
Available for home delevery in Bengaluru , Chennai , Karnataka and All States in India.
PRODUCT INFO
Pepper
Piper nigrum L.
Family : Piperaceae
History
Pepper is the most widely used spice in the world and known as “King of the Spices”. Pepper crop is native to South Asia and historical records reveal that pepper is originated in South India. Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good often referred to also as “black gold” and used by as a form of commodity money. Until well after the Middle age, virtually all of the black pepper found in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa traveled there from India’s Malabar region. It was some part of the preciousness of these spices that led to the European efforts to find a sea route to India and consequently to the European Colonial occupation of the country as well as European discovery and colonization of America/s. Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Brazil are the main pepper producers in the world.
Products and Uses
Pepper is largely produced as black pepper which is the dried whole fruit. White pepper is produced by removing outer pericarp and pepper is also available in crushed and ground forms. A small amount of green and ripened pepper is pickled in brine and dehydrated green pepper and preserved red pepper also traded. Pepper oil and oleoresins are also extracted marketed as value-added products. Pepper is mainly used as a spice and flavoring agent in the food industry. It also has industrial uses in perfumery and pharmaceutical industries.
Major Growing Areas
In Sri Lanka pepper is mainly cultivated in Low and Mid country Wet and Intermediate agro-climatic zones. The total extent of pepper in Sri Lanka is about 42,989 ha and Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Badulla, Ratnapura, Monaragala, and Kurunegala are the major districts.
Varieties
Although the origin of black pepper is believed to be Malabar Coast of India, Sri Lanka too is a home to a number of wild pepper types. When considering the huge genetic variability of P. nigrum L. found in Sri Lanka and the presence of pepper wild relatives, it is believed that Sri Lanka also a place of origin of pepper. Some commercial black pepper varieties had also been introduced to Sri Lanka since the existence of commercial black pepper trade. High yielding pepper line called “Panniyur-1” from India and “Kuchin” from Malaysia was introduced in the 1970s but MB12 and GK 49 are high yielding and superior quality local selections which are popular among black pepper cultivators. Department of Export Agriculture has recently introduced three new hybrids – Dingi Rala, kohukumbure Rala and Bootawe Rala.
Dingi Rala Bootawe Rala Kohukumbure Rala Parents Panyur 1 x GK 49 Panyur 1 x DM 7 MW 21 x panyur 1 Length of a panicle 12cm 14cm 12cm Filling percentage 80% 80% 80% Yield 2245g/year/vine 2724g/year/vine 2340g/year/vine Dry weight ratio 327:1 327:1 246:1 Oleoresin percentage 12.9% 12.9% 15.4% Oil percentage 2.8% 3.1% 3.6% Piperine percentage 5.6% 6.3% 6% Weight of 1 liter 571.86g 490.88g 613.43g Weight of 1000 seeds 63.44g 47.19g 53.31g