Spices Board expanding cultivation in new areas

KOCHI: The European Union’s recent warnings about rising pesticide levels in chillies and nutmeg have spurred Spices Board, under the Union commerce ministry, to encourage their farming in new regions. Chillies have often been turned down in overseas markets because of heavy pesticide residues. “The main chilli-producing belt of Guntur is a cotton-growing area and hence the pesticides used in cotton sometimes affect chilli too. We are looking at Rajasthan for chilli cultivation,” said Spices Board chairman VJ Kurien. The board has decided to focus on chillies because it is an important spice, accounting for a quarter of total spice exports.

“One reason for spreading the cultivation to new areas is that it is difficult to change the farming methods of traditional chilli growers in Guntur and Byadagi,” said Dr J Thomas, director (research) at Spices Board.

Thomas said nutmeg cultivation, currently concentrated in Kerala, will be expanded to some parts of Tamil Nadu, such as Palani. The Spices Board is trying to grow organic spices in the north-eastern states and its efforts at cultivating ginger in these regions have been quite a success.

Pepper yield is declining in Kerala and this year’s production is estimated at 45,000 tonne. Apart from re-planting in Kerala, the board is trying to extend the crop to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Ajay Mariwala, MD of Vallabhdas Kanji, an exporter of spices, said although the initiative was good, it should involve exporters who have firrst-hand knowledge of quality.