Nutmeg production in the country has recorded a steep fall over the last four years. During the period from 1992-93 to 1995-96, total production of Kerala and Karnataka -- the major nutmeg-producing states -- came down to 1,471 tonnes from a high of 3,663 tonnes. This is despite an increasing trend in area under the crop. For instance, area brought under nutmeg has increased to 5,345 hectares in 1995-96 from 3,828 in 1992-93. According to the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development director K Sivaraman, nutmeg cultivation has become unviable to the farmers owing to the long period the crop takes to give an economical return.Even in Kerala, which produces about 90 per cent of the total nutmeg output in the country, production has dipped to 1,420 tonnes in 1995-96 from the level of 1992-93 when it stood at 3,588 tonnes. On the other hand, total area under nutmeg has increased to 4,675 hectares from 3,653 in 1992-93. Likewise, the production of Karnataka has also declined from 75 tonnes in 1992-93 to alow of 51 tonnes, even while area under nutmeg increased to 670 hectares in 1995-96 from 175 hectares in 1992-93.
However, DACD could not cite the exact reason for the fall in production. According to research officer TC Ravindran, the drop in Kerala's production to 1,420 tonnes in 1995-96 from 2,844 tonnes in the previous year was partly due to the new crop estimate tools adopted by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Thiruvananthapuram.
However, import of nutmeg has shown an increasing trend over the last three years. The imports, which stood at 118 tonnes valued at Rs 43.16 lakh in 1994-95, have gone up to 1269 tonnes valued at Rs 4.34 crore the following year. It, however, fell to 508 tonnes valued at Rs 1.93 crore in 1996-97. On the other hand, import of mace has shown an increasing trend. The total quantity of mace imported during the period from 1994-95 to 1996-97 increased to 501 tonnes valued at Rs 2.67 crore from 78 tonnes valued at Rs 39 lakh.
Though productivity has fallensignificantly, prices of nutmeg have remained buoyant throughout the period 1993-94 to 1997-98. For instance, the average price of nutmeg (with shell), which ruled at Rs 4,202 per quintal in 1993-94, grew to Rs 6,283 in 1997-98. Same was the case with that of mace. Mace price which stood at Rs 15,325 per quintal in 1993-94 recorded an all-time high of Rs 39,992.
According to Sivaraman, there should be initiatives to introduce high yielding varieties of nutmeg to the farmers. The Indian Institute of Spices Research had recently developed a new variety of nutmeg tree which would give economic return to the farmers within five to six years as compared to 15 years in the case of traditional varieties.
The directorate has also plans to popularise the new graft variety among the farmers to improve productivity of the crop.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
