https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Growing Black Gold in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar

In Naxal hit Bastar, farmers are doing innovative farming and growing black pepper with coffee and silver oak. District administration is lending help to these farmers, right from providing training to seeds. The man behind the project is 2011-batch IAS officer and DC Bastar,Mr Chandan Kumar
Indian Masterminds Stories

Lo and Behold, Chhattisgarh is chipping away at Kerala’s reputation as spice capital of India. After successfully growing coffee, the state is cultivating black pepper.

Even an unsuccessful attempt made sometime ago, failed to deter the state from make another effort at growing spices. With help of the district administration the farmers made seemingly impossible task become possible. Black pepper is now being cultivated in many villages of Bastar district for the last 3 years. More than 100 farmers are now cultivating black pepper in Bastar.

Speaking to Indian Masterminds, 2011 batch IAS officer and collector of Bastar, Mr. Chandan Kumar said, “We started off with coffee plantation. In between Coffee plants, silver oak is planted. In a bid to further increase farmers’ income, black-pepper is being grown along the silver oak trees.”

IAS Chandan Kumar

An yield of up to 1 kg green berries/bush would be obtained in the third year after planting. The yield increases during subsequent years about 2-3 kg green berries/bush is expected be in the fifth year of planting. “Average yield is expected to be 1410 to 2100 kgs per hectare. This will give them an income of approx Rs. 3 to 5 lakh/ha annually. A black pepper plant will remain productive for next 40 years”, Mr Chandan Kumar told Indian Masterminds.

BLACK GOLD

Black-pepper, famous as “Black Gold” and also known as ‘King of Spices’, is one of the important agricultural commodities of commerce and trade in India since pre-historic period.

The crop is the major source of income and employment for rural households in the predominantly pepper growing State of Kerala where more than 2.5 lakh farm families are involved in pepper cultivation.

Tribal Farmers

But now, the farmers of village like Darbha and Sulphipadar are growing black pepper under the guidance of College of Horticulture and Research Station, Jagdalpur and the plants have started to bear fruits.

MAIN BENEFICIARIES

Mostly, tribal farmers are involved in pepper’s cultivation. Administration is providing them training and all possible help for pepper cultivation. Presently four varieties of black pepper have been planted in the orchard in Bastar.

Black pepper tree

Mr Chandan said that studies have been done in this regard by horticulture department. “We have found that climatic condition, the soil condition, the moisture content, rainfall and the altitude of this place is perfectly fine for growing black pepper. So we are keeping our finger crossed,” he added.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma
Who Is SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma? The 2015-Batch RAS Officer Caught in Yet Another Scandal After Slapping Petrol Pump Employee
Solar Panels
CERC Proposes Buyout Price Mechanism to Ensure Compliance with Renewable Consumption Obligations
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy MNRE
MNRE Invites Creative Minds to Design Official Logo for National Green Hydrogen Mission
RBI
RBI Proposes Mandatory Unique Transaction Identifier for OTC Derivative Trades from April 2026
INS Trikand
Indian Navy’s INS Trikand Executes Heroic Firefighting and Rescue Operation on MT Falcon in Gulf of Aden
gghghghg
Defence Acquisition Council Approves Rs 79,000 Crore for Advanced Military Systems to Boost India’s Defence Capabilities
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
IDES Saquib Alam
Beyond IAS and IPS: The Inspiring Work of an IDES officer | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
IDES Saquib Alam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT