ABSTRACT
In India, the total area under pineapple cultivation is estimated to be 210,000 acres. In Kerala, too, pineapple cultivation has grown since Independence. From the 1950s to the 1980s, however, commercial Kew-pineapple cultivation was widespread in Thrissur District and also in Kannur District. By contrast, Mauritius-pineapple production in Vazhakulam, Ernakulam District, has been booming since 1983. That region has become the most important pineapple-producing area in Kerala. Vazhakulam has also become Kerala's most important pineapple-assembly market, and has gained national importance, too. The beginnings of pineapple cultivation in Vazhakulam go back to the colonization of the region in the last century. Since then, gentle hills have been terraced with mudwalls on which pineapple and reeds are grown (kayala system). Apart from the use of fertilizers and ethephon, increasing application of pesticides and herbicides contributes to the “chemicization” of pineapple cultivation in Vazhakulam.
