Black Pepper
Vine harvesting and sorting crews, usually intercropped with coffee and arecanut.
Indicative person-day ranges for planning only. Live estimates come from the AI wage simulator and vary by belt, season, and skill.
About the crop
Black pepper — the "king of spices" — is rarely grown alone in Karnataka. Vines climb the shade trees and arecanut palms of the same Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan estates, so pepper harvesting usually overlaps the coffee season and shares much of the same crew. Spikes are picked when they begin to turn, then dried into the black peppercorns of commerce.
The Work Cycle
- 1
Vine picking
Spikes are hand-picked from vines trained up support trees, often on ladders.
- 2
Threshing
Berries are separated from the spikes by hand or with simple threshers.
- 3
Blanching & drying
Green berries are briefly blanched, then sun-dried until they blacken and shrivel.
- 4
Cleaning & grading
Dried peppercorns are winnowed, graded by bulk density, and bagged.
Why it's skilled work
Because pepper is intercropped, harvesting means working around coffee and arecanut without damaging either. Timing the pick — spikes turning from green — and proper drying are what preserve the pungency and grade.
Key Facts
Challenges we solve
- Overlaps the coffee harvest — crews are stretched thin
- Vines on tall supports need careful, ladder-based picking
- Correct pick timing sets pungency and price
- Drying weather in Dec–Feb affects final grade
Typical Roles
- Pepper Vine Harvester
- Curing Yard & Processing Worker
- Estate Maistri / Supervisor
Harvest Calendar
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