CHENNAI: With labour cost increasing by the day, condiment cultivation has become unsustainable, Mayilazhagan, who cultivates tamarind in Salem district says.Another reason provided by the traders and wholesalers was that a substantial increase in the export of tamarind last year had left them with no “carryover” stock (excess stock left unsold brought forward to the current year). This meant that they had to depend on arrivals in the current season to maintain supply. However, with the drop in production, this has taken a toll on the traders.“Last year, the crop failed in places like Myanmar and Pakistan and so we exported a lot from here. Therefore, we had no carryover stock this year,” says Ravi Shankar of NTP Pethusamy Chettiar in Thiruvannamalai.Interestingly, traders say while prices soared last year due to high exports, the price was even higher this year even though exports have come down substantially. This indicated a marked decrease in arrivals. However, traders in the State are hopeful that prices would stabilise in mid-November due to expectation of new crop early next year.
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