Black pepper — one of the world’s most commonly used spices and often called the “king of spice” — grows well in humid, tropical regions with ample rainfall. It is primarily cultivated in Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Brazil. Within Micronesia, it has been grown on the island of Pohnpei since 1960 and was marketed successfully worldwide for a short time as a rare, high-quality peppercorn, with some experts ranking it among the best in the world.

No farms in Guam are currently growing black pepper on a commercial basis, but it holds promise as a specialty agricultural commodity that has a long shelf-life and has high demand globally to be a potential export. University of Guam Land Grant researchers have been inspired by the plant’s success in Pohnpei and hope to emulate in Guam the work of the College of Micronesia-Federated States of Micronesia in developing and sharing knowledge for sustainable black pepper cultivation.

UOG and the Guam Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Development Service will host a Black Pepper Production Forum from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 21, on the University of Guam campus. The forum will feature the expertise of agronomy researcher Dr. Murukesan Krishnapillai from COM-FSM, who will be instructing on propagation techniques, the planting process, and maintenance practices for black pepper plants.

The forum is limited to the first 35 registrants, and the first 20 to arrive on the day of the forum will receive a black pepper plant to take home. There is no cost to attend.

Growers interested in learning more about black pepper cultivation can register for the forum here:

Register Here

For more information, please email Maegan Delfin at delfinm8962@triton.uog.edu.