Festive Onset Pushed Up Nutmeg Prices but the Farmers Want More

DIWALI – festival of lights is one of the major festivals in India and with its advancement, the demand for some spices and foods have increased in the market.

‘Nutmeg’ being one such spice, is no exception to this. In addition to this, two consecutive floods in Kerala and climate change have to led to its prices grow between Rs 600 – 650 per kg, which is more as compared to the previous season which was Rs 450 per kg. Mace is selling at a price of Rs 1,900 per kg, which is also more than last year’s price which is Rs 1,100 per kg. Nutmeg taffy – an edible candy made from javetri, is also being sold at a price of Rs 800 per kg.

As it is an exotic spice, it has a good demand in the urban society nowadays. Given to this rise in demand, the flood hit farmers are expect to increase the already soaring prices of nutmeg by at least Rs 15-25 per kg before Diwali. This move is driven by the devastating and disrupting floods in Kerala that occurred twice in a short interval of time.

Farmers lost much of their crop production to these floods and are now looking forward to compensate those losses through price rise. It is apparently a very sensitive situation for the farmers as there lies a big confusion ahead of them – whether to grow this crop or not, as it does gives good value for price but the region has been frequently struck by floods and cyclones.

Javetri & Jaiphal:

Its crop consists of two components – rind known as “javetri” (mace) and the seed is known as “jaiphal” (nutmeg). Jaiphal is a prominent winter spice which helps in treating cold and flu. Also, it is nowadays being used as an ingredient in many desserts. 

Nutmeg is used to season dishes, found in baked items, deserts and entrees (mostly Indian and Moroccan cuisines). It is also used to season beverages like nutmeg tea and coffee.