Centre paints a rosy picture on spice exports

NEW DELHI: The Centre has set a target of increasing spice exports to $10 billion in the next ten years. This would translate into a more than tenfold increase in exports from the present level of $875 million.

Minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh said that this was a “feasible target” as the government was taking steps to promote production and exports of various spices including mint, chillies, cumin, coriander, fennel, fenugreek and saffron.

Speaking at the ninth World Spice Congress in Goa on Monday, Mr Ramesh said that Spices Board is launching two new initiatives in mint in Uttar Pradesh and saffron in Jammu and Kashmir.

It is also taking the lead in establishing spice parks in different states—Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh—to begin with.

These parks can emerge as reprocessing hubs as well for which the Spices Board is preparing ambitious plans. “We want to reach a $10 billion export turnover in the next ten years. This is eminently feasible,” he said.

The new company promoted by the Spices Board called Flavourit Spices Trading is also a step in the direction of promoting professional marketing and value-addition. Substantial investments will be made to develop and promote this brand both in domestic and international markets, the minister said.

In 2006-07, exports of mint at $244 million and chillies at $179 million accounted for half of the spices exported while pepper at $ 68 million and cardamom at $ 10 million accounted for just 10% of total exports.