Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.

) Black pepper ,"King of Spices" is obtained from the perennial evergreen climbing vine. It belongs the family Piperaceae. It is indigenous to the western Ghats of South India.Eversince Vasco Da Gama found it in Kerala in the 15th century it had spread to the Western World and it was the spice that was the cause of many expeditions and wars. It is one of the important earliest known spice produced and exported from India. Pepper is widely cultivated in Kerala and some parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. About 96 % of area and production of pepper is in Kerala. From here only, pepper was taken to other parts of the country, especially to some of the north-eastern states, Assam and adjoining Myanmar . Besides India it is also cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Sri Lanka. Botany: Black pepper is an ever green climbing plant and grows to a height of 10m or more .The vine branch horizontally from the nodes and do not attain length,but fully grown vines completely cover the standard giving the shape of a bush. 5 distinct type of stem portions are there in the shoot system of pepper vine; 1.Main stem : originates from a seed or a stem cutting.It climbs on the support with the aid of aerial or adventitious roots. 2. Runner shoots : which originatefrom the basal portion of the main stem and have long internodes which strike roots at each node. 3. Fruit branches(plagiotrops):produced from the nodes of main stem and they grow laterally more or less at right angle to the main stem,bearing the spikes. 4. Top shoots(orthotropes):After a period of vertical growth ,the top portion of the main stem attains a bushy appearance with shorter,thicker internodes and profuse branching with large no.of aerial roots at the nodes. 5.Hanging shoots(geotropes):In a fully grown vine,some of the plagiotrops at the top portion are seen to give rise to give rise to a special type of shoots which hang and grow geotropically

Climate: Pepper is a plant of humid tropics requiring adequate rain fall and humidity. It can grow from sea level upto an altitude of 1200m.Though an annual rainfall of 250 cm is ideal for the proper growth of the crop, it can also come up well in low rainfall areas if the distribution pattern of is conducive. The pepper plant tolerates a minimum temperature of l0oC and the maximum of 40o, the optimum being 20 to 30oC.It Soil: Pepper prefers a light porous and well dained soil rich in organic matter though it grows in wide range of soil such as clay loam, red loam,sandy loam and laterite soils with PH 4.5 to 6.0. Selection of site:

Site with slight to moderate slope are ideal for pepper cultivation, as they promote drainage. Slopes facing south are to be avoided, if used the young plants should be protected from scorching sun during summer. Selection of mother plant: Cultivated varieties, which are highly productive,regular bearing and posses other desirable attributes such as vigorous growth, maximum number of spikes per unit area, long spike, close setting of berries, disease tolerance, etc. are selected.These mother plants should be in the age group of 5-12 years(Oct-Nov). Propagation: Pepper is propagated best from cutting of the runner shoots which originates from the base of the vines. Runner shoots from high yielding and healthy vines are kept coiled on wooden pegs fixed at the base of the vine to prevent the shoots from coming in contact with soil and striking roots. The runner shoots are separated from the vine during February-March. After trimming the leaves, cuttings of 2-3 nodes each are planted either in nursery beds or in polythene bags filled with fertile soil. Adequate shade has to be provided and the polythene bags are to be irrigated frequently. The cuttings become ready for planting during May-June. When the vine reaches the top (3-4 months after planting of the cutting) the terminal bud is nipped off and the vine is crushed at about three nodes above the base, in order to activate the axillary buds. After about 10 days, the vine is cut at the crushed point and removed from the rooting medium and cut between each node. Each cutting with the bunch of roots intact is planted in polythene bags filled with fumigated potting mixture. The polythene bags should be kept in a cool and humid place, or should be covered with thin polythene (200 gauge) sheet to retain humidity The buds start developing in about 3 weeks and the polybags can then be removed and kept in shade. Advantages of this method : Rapid multiplication (1:40) well developed root system higher field establishment and vigorous growth as a result of better root system.

A Rapid multiplication technique has been developed at NRCS,Calicut. In this method, a trench of 75 cm depth, 30 cm width and convenient length is made.

The trench is filled with rooting medium comprising of forest soil,sand and farm yard manure in 1:1:1 ratio. Split halves of bamboowith septa or split halves of PVC pipes of 1.25-1.50 m length and 8-10 cm diameter provided with plastic septa at 30 cm intervals are fixed at 45 angle on a strong support. Rooted cuttings are planted in the trench at the rate of one cutting for each bamboo split. The lower portions of the bamboo splits are filled with rooting medium (preferably weathered coir dust-farm yard manure mixture in 1:1 ratio) and the growing vine is tied to the bamboo split in such a way so as to keep the nodes pressed to the rooting medium. The tying can be done with dried banana leaf sheath fibers or coir rope. The cuttings are irrigated regularly. As the cuttings grow, the bamboo splits are filled with rooting medium and each node is pressed down to the rooting medium and tied. For rapid growth, a nutrient solution of urea (1 kg), super phosphate (0.75 kg), muriate of potash (0.5 kg) and magnesium sulphate (0.25 kg) in 250 litres of water is to be applied @ 0.25 litre per vine at monthly intervals.

Serpentine method Cheaper propagation technique for production of rooted cuttings of black pepper is serpentine layering. In a nursery shed rooted black pepper cuttings are planted in polythene bags holding about 500 g potting mixture,which will serve as mother plants. As the plant grows and produces few nodes small polythene bags (20x10 cm) filled with potting mixture may be kept under each node. The node may be kept gently pressed in to the mixture assuring contact with the potting mixture with the help of a flexible twig such as mid rib of a coconut leaflet to enable rooting at that junction. Roots start growing from the nodes and the cuttings keep on growing further. And the process of keeping potting mixture filled polythene bags at every node to induce rooting at each node is repeated.

In 3 months the first 10 nodes (from the mother plants) would have rooted profusely and will be ready for harvest.

Each node with the ploythene bag is cut just below the rooted node and the cut end is also buried into the mixture to induce more roots. Polythene bags filled with solarized potting mixture or soil, granite powder and farmyard manure in 2:1:1 proportion is recommended for producing disease free rooted cuttings. The rooted nodes will produce new sprouts in a week time and will be ready for field planting in 2-3 months time. Daily irrigation can be given with a rose can. On an average, 60 cuttings can be harvested per mother plant in a year by this method. Planting: Pepper cuttings are generally planted with the onset of south-west monsoon. Planting of standard is to be taken up in Aprl-May. Erythina sp.(Murukku) or Garuga pinnata (kilinjil) or Grevillea robusta (silver oak) are suitable standards. The cuttings of standards are to be planted in narrow holes of 40 to 50cm depth at a spacing of 3m x 3m. Prepare pits of size 50cm3 on the northern side of standard,15cm away from the vine. The pits are filled with a mixture of top soil, farmyard manure @ 5 kg/pit and 150 g rock phosphate. Neem cake @ 1 kg and Trichoderma harzianum @ 50 g also may be mixed with the mixture at the time of planting.

With the onset of monsoon, 2-3 rooted cuttings of black pepper are planted individually in the pits on the northern side of each standard, at least one node of the cutting should be kept below the soil for better anchorage Press the soil around the cutting and form a small mound slopping outward and away from cutting to prevent water stagnation After culture: If the land is sloppy or uneven, make contour bunds or terraces to prevent soil erosion. Carry out digging around the standards and vines at a radius of about one meter from the base or on the entire plantation twice during the year, the first at the onset of south-west monsoon and the second towards the end of north-east monsoon. Weeding around the plants is to be done according to the necessity. In the early stages, tie the vines to the standards if necessary When pepper is grown in open place, shading and watering of the young seedlings may be done during summer months for the first one to three years according to the necessity. Dry areca nut leaves, coconut leaves or twigs of trees can be used. Mulching the basins of pepper vines during summer months is highly advantageous. Saw dust, areca nut husk and dry leaves are suitable mulching materials. Irrigating pepper plant from November-December to the end of March and withholding it till monsoon break, increases pepper yield by about 50 per cent.

Removal of unwanted terminal shoot growths and hazing shoots should be done as and when necessary Intercropping of pepper with ginger, termeric, colocasia, elephant foot yam etc. are advantageous.

Training and Pruning: Prune and train the standard in Mar-Aprl every year to remove excess overgrowth and to give them a proper shape. The effective height of standard is to be limited to about 6m.A 2nd pruning may be done in July-Aug,if there is excessive shade in the garden. Growing of cover crops like Calapagonium mucorolders is recommended provided the cover crops are to be cut regularly from the base of the plants to prevent them from twinning along with the pepper vines. Lowering of vines after one year's growth will promote lateral branches growth. Manuring and fertilizer application: Manuring for pepper vine is to be done in the basin tsken around the plant,10 to 15cm deep amd 50 to 75 cm radius,depending upon the growth.Apply cattle manure/ compost/green leaves @10Kg/plant/annum just at the onset of S-W monsoon and cover lightly with soil. Recommended nutrient dosage for black pepper vines (3 years and above) are as follows. NPK 50:50: 150 g/vine/year (General recommendation) NPK 50:50: 200 g/vine/year (for Panniyur and similar areas) NPK 140:55: 270 g/vine/year (for Kozhikode and similar areas) Only one-third of this dosage should be applied during the first year which is increased to two-thirds in the second year. The full dose is given from the third year onwards. It is better to apply the fertilizers in two split doses, one in May-June and the other in August-September. The fertilizers are applied at a distance of about 30 cm all around the vine and covered with a thick layer of soil. Care should be taken to avoid direct contact of fertilizers with roots of black pepper. Organic manures in the form of cattle manure or compost can be given @ 10 kg/vine during May. Neem cake @ 1 kg/vine can also be applied. Application of lime @ 500 g/vine in AprilMay during alternate years is also recommended. When biofertilizer like Azospirillum is applied @ 100 g/vine, the recommended nitrogen dose may be reduced by half to 70 g/vine.

In soils that are deficient in zinc or magnesium, foliar application of 0.25% zinc sulphate twice a year (May-June and September-October) and soil application of 150 g/vine magnesium sulphate, respectively is recommended

Harvesting and processing: The crop is ready for harvest in 6-8 months from flowering. The harvest season extends from November to January in the plains and January toMarch in the hills. During harvesting the whole spike is hand picked when one or two berries in the spike turn bright orange. The berries are separated from the spikes and dried in the sun for 7-10 days. The optimum moisture content in dried pepper toprevent mould attack is 8-10%. The berries can be separated manually or mechanically using threshers. Threshers with capacities varying between 0.5 to 1.5 tons per hour are available.This enhances speedy and hygienic separation of black pepper berries. When dried, the berries retain the characteristic wrinkled appearance of black pepper of commerce. The fresh berries aredipped in hot water for a minute before drying in the sun which results in an attractive black colour and also reduces the drying time. Mechanical driers such as copra drier, convection drier and cascade type driers can also be employed for drying. The optimum temperature to be maintained in mechanical driers should be around 60C. Yield: Though the vines start bearing from the third year onwards, the yield gets stabilized only from the seventh or eighth year after planting. It starts declining after 20-25 years and replanting has to be done thereafter.One hectare of the crop yields about 600 to 800 kg of black pepper. The yield declines about 25 years after planting. Under favourable conditions, the vines may live up to 40 to 60 years. Pit Method of Black pepper propagation A new technique for propagating black pepper from single nodes of field grown vines has been developed at Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut. The technique is simple and suited to small and marginal farmers. It is as follows: A pit of 2m x 1m x 0.5m is to be prepared under a cool shaded area in the farm. Single nodes with approximately 8-10 cm length and their leaf intact, taken from runner shoots of field grown vines are to be planted polythene bags (25x15cm, 200gauge) having three proportions at the lower half filled with a mixture of sand, soil, coir dust and cow dung in equal proportions. The single nodes are to be planted in the polythene bags in such way so as their leaf axle will rest above the potting mixture. The polybags with the planted single nodes should be arranged in the pit. In a pit of the above size approximately 150 bags can be kept. After keeping the bags in the pit, the pit should be covered with a polythene sheet. This sheet may be secured in position by placing stones, weights etc on the corners. The cutting should be watered at least five times a day with a rose can. Every time immediately after watering the pit should be covered with the polythene sheet. It is advisable to drench the cuttings two-three times with copper oxychloride

(2g/litreAfter 2-3 weeks of planting the cuttings will start producing roots. These roots will be visible through the polythene bags. After the initiation of rooting, watering should be reduced to 3-4 times a day. After about one month, healthy shoots start emerging from the leaf axil. At this stage it is advisable to keep the cuttings inside the pit that they will not suffer from any shock when they are taken out the pit. The cuttings can be taken out of the pit after two months of planting. Once taken out they should be invariably kept in a shaded place and watered twice a day. These cuttings will be ready for field planting after about another 2 months. By this method 80-85 per cent success can be obtained. Foliar application of nutrient solution will enhance the growth of the cuttings. Advantages of this method is that it is simple , cheap and quick as cuttings are ready to plant in about 4 months compared to six months in conventional method, and leads to more efficient utilization of the runner shoots as single node cuttings are used vis a vis four node cuttings in conventional method . Salient points to be taken care of: 1. Keep the leaves of the cutting intact 2. Take cutting only from healthy vines 3. Arrange regular watering Bush pepper By planting lateral fruiting branches(plagiotrops) the vine can be grown as a bush. All the varieties can be used for making bush pepper. Panniyur varieties,karimunda,subhakara,kottanadan etc.are the best. One year old healthy fruiting branches with 3-5 nodes are selected(after harvesting). All the leaves except flag leaf are removed These laterals are given a slanting cut at about 2cm below the nodl region and dipped in 1000ppm IBA for 45 sec. Planted in nursery bed or polythene bags filled with potting mixture Well rooted and established plants are then transplanted in big pots/polythene bags The bush nature is retained by proper pruning of the hanging shoots An improved method for rooting in laterals: In this lateral cuttings are planted in a polythene bag of size 45x 30cm containing moist coir pith About 3-4 laterals can be planted in a single bag Mouth of the bag is then tied tightly after blowing air inorder to avoid moisture loss The bag act as a humid chamber for better rooting and survival of cuttings Place bag under shade After 35-50 days cuttings produce 5-6 healthy roots Then the bag is left open for hardening After that the rooted cuttings are transplanted in polythene bags filled with potting mixture consisting of soil,sand and cowdung in the ratio 1:1:1 and kept for 1-2months for better establishment

Rooted laterals are planted either in the field or in pots with 2.5Kg FYM along with 10g NPK/bush at 3months interval. Rooted cutting starts flowering in the same year of planting and continue to flower around the year On an average 1/2-1Kg of green pepper could be harvested during 2nd year Yield increases considerably during subsequent years

Varieties Over 75 cultivars of pepper are being cultivated in India. Karimunda is the most popular of all the established cultivars. The other important cultivars are Kottanadan, Narayakkodi, Aimpiriyan, Neelamundi, Kuthiravally, Balancotta and Kalluvally etc. in Kerala. Varieties Billimalligesara, Karimalligesara, Doddiga, Mottakare and Uddagare are popular in Karnataka. Panniyur-1 and 3 are pepper hybrids evolved at Pepper Research Station, Panniyur, Kerala.In terms of quality, Kottanadan has the highest oleoresin (17.8%) followed by Aimpiriyan (15.7%). Distinct varieties and forms are known to exist since a long time in South India.Many varieties with distinct qualities are known by their local names. Some of the pepper varieties grown in Kerala and Karnataka are Kalluvally, Balamkotta, Cheriakondy, Uthirankota, Karimunda, Cheriakaniakadan, Kuthiravally, Karimarata, Arasilamarata, Doddagya, Malligesara and Tattisara. The hybrid variety 'Panniyur-1' evolved at Pepper Research Station, Panniyur is a high yielding one capable of giving 3 to 4 times the yield of other local varieties. It is also early bearing and begins to yield from the second year of planting if properly looked after. 'Cheriakaniakadan' a popular South Kerala variety and 'Uthirankota' a North Kerala variety are the male and female parents respectively of 'Panniyur-1'. Improved black pepper varieties and their characteristics.

Variety

Maturity Group Medium

Average Remarks yield-dry (kg/ha) 1242 Spikes are long with large berries. Early bearing, performs well under open situations. Suitable to all pepper growing regions. Not suited to heavily shaded areas. Shade tolerant. Suited to all pepper growing tracts of Kerala. Late maturing, performs well in open conditions. Vigorous in growth. Suited to all pepper growing tracts of Kerala. Reported to perform well under adverse climatic conditions including partial shade. This stable yielder is suited to all pepper growing tracts of Kerala.

Panniyur-1

Panniyur-2 Panniyur-3 Syama

Medium Late

2570 1953

Late Panniyur-4 Anjana Panniyur-5 Medium

1227

1098

Suitable for cultivation in all pepper growing tracts. This shade tolerant variety is better suited for arecanut garden. The variety is tolerant to nursery disease. Recommended for Trivandrum and Quilon districts of Kerala.

Palod-2 (PLD-2) Subhakara

Medium

2475

Medium

2352

Suited to all pepper growing tracts of Kerala and southern Karnataka. High quality. Adopted to various climatic conditions in all the pepper growing tracts Suitable for cultivation in all pepper growing tracts of Kerala. But, may not be suited to drought prone regions as it is late maturing. Tolerant to root-knot nematode. Suited to all pepper growing regions of Kerala.

Sreekara

Medium

2677

Panchami

2828

Pournami

Medium

2333

Panniyur-6

Medium

2127

For all pepper growing regions of Kerala under open cultivation as well as partial shade. The variety is vigorous, hardy and a regular bearer. Recommended for Kerala under open condition and partial shade

Panniyur-7

Medium

1410

Thevam

Medium

1787

Girimunda

Medium

2112

Malabar Exel

Medium

1065

*Yield/vine Kg (fresh)

HARVESTING AND PROCESSING Harvesting Harvesting at the correct stage of maturity is essential to produce high quality peppercorns. The pepper spikes are picked when one or two of the berries on the spike begin to turn orange and the berries are hard to touch. Sorting / threshing After harvest the pepper berries are removed from the stems either by hand or by beating with sticks (threshing) or by using a minim mechanical thresher. Scalding / blanching The pepper berries are blanched by placing in boiling water for about 10 minutes which causes them to turn dark brown or black in about an hour. Blanching accelerates the drying and browning of the berries. Drying This is the most important part of the process as it affects the quality of the final product. To obtain the full black colour of dried pepper, it needs to be dried in direct sunshine. This can be achieved by drying in the sun, using a solar drier or in a combined solar drier and wood burning drier. Mechanical driers such as copra drier, convection drier and cascade type driers can also be employed for drying. The optimum temperature to be maintained in mechanical driers should be around 60C.Pepper berries should be dried until they are black and winkled and have a final moisture content of 8-10% to prevent the growth of mould. Grading Pepper is graded by size, colour and relative density. Colour grading is done by hand. Small machines are available for grading pepper according to the size or relative density of the peppercorns. Packaging and storage Whole peppercorns are packaged in moisture proof packets and must be stored in moisture-proof containers away from direct sunlight. The stored peppercorns should be inspected regularly for signs of spoilage or moisture. If they have absorbed moisture, they should be re-dried to a moisture content of 10%.

PEPPER PRODUCTS Black pepper Black pepper of commerce is produced from whole, unripe but fully developed berries. The harvested berries are piled up in a heap to initiate browning. Then berries are detached from the stalk by threshing. Then they are spread on suitable drying floor. During sun-drying, berries are raked to ensure uniform drying and to avoid mould development. Drying the berries for 3-5 days reduces the moisture content to 10-12 per cent.The dried berries are cleaned, graded and packed in double lined gunny bags.

Blanching the berries in boiling water for one minute prior to sun drying accelerates browning process as well as the rate of drying. It also gives a uniform lustrous black colour to the finished product and prevents mouldiness of berries. Prolonged blanching should be avoided since it can deactivate the enzymes responsible for browning process. White pepper White pepper is prepared from ripe berries or by decorticating black pepper. Bright red berries, after harvest are detached from the stalk and packed in gunny bags. The bags are allowed to soak in slow running water for about one week during which bacterial rotting occurs and pericarp gets loosened. Then the berries are trampled under feet to remove any adhering pericarp, washed in water and then sun dried to reduce the moisture content to 10-12 per cent and to achieve a cream or white colour. White pepper is garbled, sorted and packed in gunny bags. Approximately 25 kg white pepper is obtained from 100 kg ripe berries. Improved CFTRI method Fully mature but unripe berries are harvested and boiled in water for 10-15 minutes to soften the pericarp. After cooling, the skin is rubbed off either mechanically or manually, washed and sun dried to obtain white pepper. Since no retting operation is involved, the product will be free from any unpleasant odour. However, white pepper produced by this method gives pepper powder of light brown colour due to gelatinisation of starch in contrast to pure white powder obtained by traditional method. Decorticated black pepper This is a form of white pepper produced by mechanical decortication of the outer skin of black pepper. This is generally done when white pepper is in short supply. The appearance of decorticated kernel is inferior to traditionally prepared white pepper, but is satisfactory when ground. Also the milling operation requires considerable skill to avoid excessive volatile oil loss. Dehydrated green pepper In this method, under-mature berries are harvested and subjected to heat treatment for inactivating the enzymes responsible for browning reaction. Then the berries are dehydrated under controlled conditions wherein maximum retention of green colour is obtained. Dehydrated green pepper after reconstitution in water resembles freshly harvested green pepper. The advantage is that the season of availability can be extended and the berries could be stored for a year or more. Dry recovery comes to 20 per cent. Canned green pepper Green pepper after harvest is preserved in two per cent brine solution and the product is heat sterilized. This product has the additional advantage over dehydrated green pepper in that it retains the natural colour, texture and flavour. Pepper oil Black pepper is crushed to coarse powder and steam distilled to obtain 2.5 to 3.5 per cent colourless to pale green essential oil which becomes viscous on ageing. It is used in perfumery

and in flavouring. Oil can also be distilled from white pepper but high price of white pepper and low oil yield do not favour its commercial production. Pepper oleoresin Extraction of black pepper with organic solvents like acetone, ethanol or dichloro-ethane provides 10-13 per cent oleoresin possessing the odour, flavour and pungent principles of the spice. The content of the pungent alkaloid piperine ranges from 4 to 6 per cent in dry pepper and 35 to 50 per cent in oleoresin. When freshly made, pepper oleoresin is a dark green, viscous, heavy liquid with a strong aroma. One kg of oleoresin when dispersed on an inert base can replace 15 to 20 kg of spice for flavouring purpose.

The International Pepper Community The International Pepper Community is an intergovernmental organization of pepper producing countries. The Community now includes Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam as full members and Papua New Guinea as an associate member. The IPC was established in 1972 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP). The IPC Secretariat is located in Jakarta, Indonesia and is headed by an Executive Director. Membership to the Community is open to all pepper producing countries, on the unanimous consent of the existing members and by accession to the Agreement Establishing the Pepper Community. Chairmanship Representatives of member countries hold the office of Chairman. Each Chairman holds office for one year. The Secretariat The Community carries out its functions through its Secretariat based in Jakarta, Indonesia. The IPC Secretariat is hosted by the Government of Indonesia and is headed by the Executive Director appointed for a stipulated period at a Session of the Community.

Liaison Officers and IPC Focal Points In executing its function the IPC Secretariat coordinates with member countries through a network of Liaison Officers who are responsible for the development of the pepper industry and national focal points which are dealing with pepper in their respective countries. Relationship with the United Nations agencies

The International Pepper Community maintains close contacts with the United Nations organization and its special agencies. In carrying out its functions smoothly and effectively, the Community consults and seeks assistance from these experts. OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS The functions of the Community are to promote, co-ordinate and harmonize all activities relating to the pepper economy with a view to achieving the following broad objectives: To co-ordinate and stimulate research on technical and economic aspects of production, including research on diseases affecting the pepper plant, research on development of disease-resistant and high-yielding varieties; To facilitate the exchange of information on programmes and policies and on any other aspects relating to production; To develop programmes for increasing consumption in traditional and new markets, including programmes of co-operation in promotion activities; To intensify and co-ordinate research on new uses of pepper; To further joint action for the relaxation of tariff and non-tariff barriers and for the removal of other obstacles to trade; To co-ordinate standard of quality so as to facilitate international marketing; To keep under constant review developments relating to supply, demand and prices of pepper; To carry out investigations into the causes and consequences of fluctuations in the price of pepper and suggest appropriate solutions; To improve statistical and other information on pepper production, consumption, trade and prices including techniques of production and consumption forecasting; To undertake such other activities and functions as may be deemed desirable in the interests of the world pepper economy.

PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES OF IPC 1. Annual Session: IPC holds regular Sessions, at least once every financial year. Each member country is represented by a delegate with plenipotentiary power. If necessary, one or more alternates may also be appointed. The Community also regularly holds three different Meetings to evolve its policies and programmes. These Meetings address themselves to issues relating to techno-economic studies, farming and production and export promotion. The Meetings are: 2. The Peppertech Meeting: is IPCs permanent panel on techno-economic studies on pepper. This technical forum meets at least once a year and sets the framework of guidelines for the Communitys operational agenda. The purpose of the meeting is to study, identify and evolve solutions for problems faced by the pepper industry in the areas of production, processing, marketing and product development. 3. The Meeting of Pepper Exporters is held regularly before Session to discuss the pepper economy, current production situation, domestic consumption, exports, imports, prices, prospects, problems and other matters related to the pepper trade.

4. Pepperexim Meeting, is a meeting amongst producers and exporters with importers, traders and grinders of pepper. The meeting discusses various aspects of pepper such as supply and demand situation in each producing and importing country, quality improvements and quality control, possible use of technology in improving pepper quality and information exchange. 5. IPC Committee on Quality Standardization: The International Pepper Community has constituted a Committee on Quality Standardization during the Special Meeting held at Jakarta in 1998. The committee is comprised of experts from the industry as well as official representatives from the member countries. Through this Committee, IPC has established IPC Grades and Standards, including a Manual of Methods of Analyses and A Guideline on Good Manufacturing Practices for Pepper Establishments. A program of activities has been planned to make the use of these Standards more effective, including: A proposal to train laboratory and other personnel involved in quality testing; the proposal seeks FAO funding for the training to be held in member countries; An Inter-Lab Proficiency Testing Program for all labs involved in analysis of pepper quality from member countries; at present labs from Malaysia, India and Indonesia are participating in this program; Promotion of the IPC Standards among producing and consuming countries;

Representation to national and international agencies involved in setting standards so that the views of producing countries are given due significance. 6. IPC Committee on Marketing: IPC has formed a Committee on Marketing to evolve joint programmes for generic promotion of pepper among the member countries, with the IPC as the nodal agency for coordination and implementation of the programmes mooted. The Committee operates in these functional areas: Identifying potential markets and market segments Publication of generic promotional material, including new uses of pepper, recipes using pepper and nutritional information on pepper; Participates in trade fairs and industry specific exhibitions, targeting countries where there are prospects for increasing consumption of pepper. IPC participation provides an umbrella for smaller firms from member countries to participate in such events.

Publications IPC regularly compiles and disseminates information pertaining to pepper and the world pepper economy by number of means, including: Weekly Prices Bulletin which is published every Friday furnishes information on current price trends at origins, prevailing spot prices as well as futures prices pepper at the main trading

centres namely New York and in Europe. Some data on trade and other up-to-date information related to the development of pepper is also included. Pepper News & Market Review which provides with news of interest, related to the pepper community and also a review on the pepper market situation and trends during the previous month. This publication is circulated free of charge to the subscribers of Weekly Prices Bulletin. Focus on Pepper: is a half-yearly publication (formerly published as International Pepper News Bulletin), presenting technical articles on the production, processing and product development of pepper industry. Notes on research, news and selected trade statistics are also included in this publication. Directory of Exporters and Importers: lists out exporters and importers complete with their particulars such as address, telephone, fax, email, contact persons and products etc. The Director is indexed by products, company, activity and country name. Other useful information is also included in the Directory (on CD). Cooperation on Research and Development Activities: IPC encourages cooperation in research and development activities among member countries through seminars and workshops presenting and sharing research findings (e.g.. a Symposium on Pests and Diseases of Pepper held in September 2002 in Kuching, Sarawak), publication of research findings, exchange of genetic material, building a reference database of scientists who are working on, or have worked on pepper and the annual Peppertech Meeting. Pest and Diseases