Pepper, the king of spices, botanically known as Piper nigrum, is one of the oldest and the most popular spices in the world. In early historic times, black pepper was widely cultivated in the tropics of Southeast Asia. It is a perennial, climbing vine indigenous to the Malabar Coast of India. Apart from India, black pepper is widely cultivated throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China. The berry-like fruits, or peppercorns, are round, about 0.5-1.0 cm in diameter and contain a single seed. They become yellowish red at maturity and bear a single seed. The odour is penetrating and aromatic; the taste is hot, biting and very pungent. There are two types of pepper - black pepper and white pepper.

Pepper is being cultivated in developing countries across Asia and South America. Its consumption is concentrated in industrialized countries besides India. Vietnam is the largest producer of pepper, which contributes about 34% of world pepper production followed by India (19%), Brazil (13%), Indonesia (9%), Malaysia (8%), China (7%), Sri Lanka (6%) and Thailand (4%). Vietnam is also the largest pepper exporter whereas the USA is the biggest importer in the world.

India is the second largest pepper producer in the world. Kerala is the largest producer of pepper, accounting over 50 per cent of India’s total output followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Pepper is a perennial crop grown in a hilly region of India. Normally, pepper harvesting starts from December to January in the plains and January to March in the hills. February-March is peak arrival season for pepper. Kochi (Kerala) is the major trading center for pepper in India. Thodupuzha, Madikeri, Idukki, Wayanad, Chickmagalur and Sakaleshpur are the other major trading centers in the country.