Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the dried bark of the perennial tree of C.zeylanicum of the Lauraceae family. True cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and was originally grown in the central hill country. The history of cinnamon dates back to about 2800 B.C. where it can be found referred to as ”kwai” in Chinese writings. Cinnamon is even mentioned in the Bible when Moses used it as an ingredient for his anointing oil in ancient Rome. It was burned in Roman funerals perhaps partly as a way to minimize the odor of dead bodies. Emperor Nero is said to have burned a year’s worth of dry supply of cinnamon at the funeral of his wife Poppaea Sabina. Ancient Egyptians used it in embalming mummies because of its pleasant odors and its preservative qualities.

Ginger

Ginger is believed to have originated in East Asia with a historic record expanding over 3000 years. It has been widely used in Chinese and in Ayurvedic medicine. There is information that even Emperor Nero and the Roman army used ginger as medicine. It was found that ginger was imported to European countries as a spice by 1547 A.C. In recent years Ginger has been cultivated as a commercial crop in large scale in many countries such as China, India, Australia, Fiji, Hawai, Hongkong, Jamaica, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, West Africa, and Taiwan.

Fertilizer application

To add adequate Ca and Mg, Dolomite is mixed with the soil immediately after plowing at the rate of 2 mt./ha. Saw dust ash is also added to the soil at the rate of 3-4kg/sq, meter of the bed during land preparation period to achieve a high yield. Fertilizer is applied after weeding and should be mixed with the soil after which the beds should be mulched. Fertilizer is applied with rain or should be irrigated after fertilizer application. Glyricidia leaves can be added as an organic fertilizer to reduce the need for chemical fertilizer and to protect soil moisture levels.

Pepper

Pepper is the most widely used spice in the world and is known as the “King of the Spices”. Pepper crop is native to South Asia and historical records reveal that pepper originated in South India. Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good often referred to also as “black gold” and used as a form of commodity money. Until after the Middle age, virtually all of the black pepper found in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa traveled there from India’s Malabar region. It was some part of the value of these spices that led to the European efforts to find a sea route to India and consequently to the European Colonial occupation of the country as well as European discovery and colonization of America/s. Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Brazil are the main pepper producers in the world.

Cocoa

The Cocoa tree is believed to have originated in the Amazon basin and spread to Central America, particularly to Mexico. It was known and used by the natives in the region, such as Olmec and Mayas, and they considered it the “food of Gods”. Cocoa seeds were used as currency by the Aztecs who also enjoyed a type of bitter chocolate drink. Christopher Columbus discovered cocoa beans in America but only 20 years later, Hernando Cortes discovered the bitter drink used by the Aztecs and sent the beans and recipes back to King Charles V of Spain. The Spanish refined the recipes by adding sugar and heating the ingredients to improve the taste. By 1828 the cocoa press was developed, allowing the extraction of cocoa butter. Later around 1879 the Swiss developed both milk chocolate and solid chocolate. By the 1800’s European colonial rulers introduced cocoa to their colonies and after that, it was developed in Africa and Asia as commercial plantations.

Coffee

Coffee trees are pruned short to conserve their energy and aid in harvesting, but they can grow to more than 30 feet (9 meters) high. Each tree is covered with green, waxy leaves growing opposite each other in pairs. Coffee cherries grow along the branches. Because it grows in a continuous cycle, it’s not unusual to see flowers, green fruit, and ripe fruit simultaneously on a single tree. It takes nearly a year for a cherry to mature after first flowering, and about 5 years of growth to reach full fruit production. While coffee plants can live up to 100 years, they are generally the most productive between the ages of 7 and 20. Proper care can maintain and even increase their output over the years, depending on the variety.

Betel

• Always ensure soil is sufficiently moist after fertilizer application.
• Integrated use of organic manure and chemical fertilizers is more beneficial than using either source alone.
• Allied Commercial Betel Fertilizer is also available in 2kg and 5kg home garden ranges as well.