By Sreekumar Raghavan
THEKKADY (KERALA): In the forest area of Thekkady, three tribal communities are now receiving a premium for their organic pepper -33 percent above auction rates thanks to a unique collaboration between Forest Department and CGH Earth Ltd that runs the Spice Village theme resort.

A company formed by Kochi-based renowed tourism major, CGH Earth four years ago, Natural Harvest (India) Pvt Ltd is spearheading this unique project whereby 500 families belonging to three tribal communities of Mannans, Paliyans and Uralis have benefited by a revival of their traditional methods of chemicals-free farming.

Jose Dominic, CEO of CGH Earth told Commodity Online that at present only 8-10 tonnes of pepper has been exported to Ecoland Herbs and Spices, a German consortium of farmers who in turn sell the product at a premium to leading chefs of Germany. “At present, the company is part of CGH Earth but in due course we want to enlarge its operations by cultivating more spices and exporting more quantities. In due course the company could become self-sustainable,” Jose Dominic said.

Antony Varghese, Asst Manager at Natural Harvest said that the tribals have been encouraged to cultivate ginger, turmeric and chillies organically. A part of the profits earned by Natural Harvest is ploughed back into the welfare of the tribal communities in the forest, Varghese added.  The project also enables tourists staying at Spice Village to

“Our project has enabled the tribals to revive their traditional organic cultivation which had been replaced over the years replaced by chemical fertilizers oriented farming. We have also got the products certified by an international organic certification body, Lacon,” Varghese said.

“The objective of Natural Harvest Pvt Ltd is not to just grow organic spices but to become a catalyst in organic farming and there is no better place than Kerala for such a project,” Jose Dominic said.