Kochi: Spices industry major Synthite has joined hands with a Kasaragod-based startup to address the challenges faced by pepper farmers. Synthite group’s Herbal Isolates Pvt Ltd, which is the world’s largest producer of green pepper products, has collaborated with the startup St Jude Herbals to try an organic plant immune stimulator to address the challenges faced by farmers due to diseases in pepper plants.
As part of the initiative, trials will be conducted using the organic plant immune stimulator on pepper plants in South India, mainly in Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu. St Jude Herbals is a startup specialising in what it calls ‘plantopathy’, a novel method of treating plants with medicines. It avoids the usage of pesticides.
The plant immune stimulator offers an organic solution to enhance immunity, reducing the reliance on chemical pesticides. “We hope this will enable farmers to command a better price for their products, especially in the EU market,” said Jacob Ninan, MD, Herbal Isolates Pvt Ltd.
The initiative mainly aims to reduce pesticide application in farms, raise awareness among farmers about using the right organic manure, and enhance the export potential of their produce. By adopting these practices, benefits, including premium prices for farmers and improved quality and marketability of their products, can be ensured.
Herbal Isolates Private Ltd is a Synthite group company established in 1984. The company’s products include dehydrated green pepper (crushed and whole), green pepper in brine, red pepper in brine and a host of subsidiary products like hydrolysed vegetable proteins.