Pepper Trade of Kerala in the 1320s

Timeline

1. 1321–1325Malabar coast hinterland · KeralaIn the early 1320s, pepper from Kerala's inland hills was gathered by local farmers and caste-based communities, then concentrated in coastal warehouses through intermediation by local chiefs and port merchants; rulers granted customs duties and monopoly privileges in exchange for Arab and Gujarati merchants' credit and armed protection, forming a stable export supply chain.
2. 1326–1330Port of Calicut · KeralaIn the later 1320s, the port of Calicut received great ships from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf during the southwest monsoon, loading black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, and other spices bound for Aden, Hormuz, and Surat, and onward to Egypt and the Mediterranean; fluctuations in pepper prices and output directly affected the politics of Malabar ports and the standing of foreign merchant houses such as the Arab Mutallib family.