'Cardamom price fall not due to Guatemala imports'

KOCHI: Spices Board has said a fall in cardamom prices has not been due Guatemalan imports.

The board said 200 tonne cardamom were imported in the last nine months compared with 8,776 tonne which arrived at the domestic auction centres till February 28 this year. Moreover, the average auction price has been steady at 767 per kg.

In an official statement, the board said reports on cardamom imports were intended to bring down local prices. The total import duty through the authentic route is around 80.9% and when it is applied on the tariff value, it is unlikely to upset the current auction average price.

Though imports took place in the latter half of 2012 and early 2013, there was no perceptible decline in auction average prices which were ranging between 696 per kg and 787 per kg from June 2012 to January 2013.

The dip in average auction prices was noticed only in January 2012 at 512 per kg which was prior to imports. The board has alerted the commissioners of customs at major ports to take action against illegal imports through land-locked and border countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.