The ongoing Sabarimala pilgrim season has brought cheers to pepper farmers, especially in Kerala’s Idukki district with surging sales at improved price levels.

Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are buying pepper in large quantities of 500 gm packets which was selling at ₹700. This resulted in a brisk business for local farmers as the current price realisation is proving a major relief to the farming community when the prices are ruling at about ₹692 per kg for ungarbled pepper and ₹712 for garbled pepper at the Kochi Terminal Market, traders said.

The 2026 harvesting is reported to be getting delayed due to climate change and, therefore, Sabarimala season demand for pepper helped farmers and dealers in Idukki, Pathanmitta, Kottayam districts to sell in retail at fancy and attractive prices, they said.  

However, sources in the farming community said that cloudy weather conditions in the high ranges is hindering sun-drying of harvested pepper, forcing many to sell immature produce directly to the dehydrated green industry. If pepper is not dried the day after harvest, drying losses tend to be significantly higher.

Arrivals at the Kochi terminal market are a little bit tight because of the inter-state demand from the primary market. The end of Sabarimala demand may reflect in increased arrivals next week. Prices are likely to rule steady in the coming weeks from the upcountry markets with winter season demand progressing.

Kishore Shamji, Director of Indian Pepper and Spices Traders Association, said 2025 ended with pepper prices ruling at ₹680 for ungarbled compared to ₹635 in the corresponding period of 2024. The production in 2026 is likely to be dropped by around 25 per cent, which would benefit the prices, he said adding that the production last year in the country was 85,000 tonnes.

Published on January 13, 2026