Electronic auctioning of cardamom, chillies

Kochi: Electronic auctioning of Cardamom and Chillies will be introduced soon, union minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday.

While for Cardamom, the electronic auctioning would start from the next season, for chillies it would be introduced from November this year, Ramesh told reporters here.

The Minister said Cardamom was a success story, which was not given any credit in India. In the last 15 years, productivity in cardamom cultivations has gone up three fold from 70 kg per hectare to 220 kg per hectare. In Kerala, it was 320 kg per hectare, he said.

The Indian cardamom was facing stiff competition from Guatemala, as large quantity of the spices was being smuggled to India through Nepal, the minister said.

The issue had been discussed with officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Nepalese authorities and it would be taken up diplomatically, he said.

On replantation in Cardamon plantations, he said every year about 3000 hectares was being replanted and this would continue for at least 15 years.

About 50,000 hectares of chilli plantations would come under a new programme on Integrated pest management, which would help in tackling the issues of Sudan Red and Aflatoxin, the minister said.