World Spice Congress Initiates Major Actions To Empower Spice Farmers
The Indian Spice Industry will take up a quality capacity building exercise jointly with USFDA [United States Food Drug Administration] enabling every segment of the spice industry to face the challenges of international trade and commerce in spices. This will start right from the spices growers across the Country. This was declared by the Chairman of the Spices Board India, Dr A. Jayathilak IAS at the concluding session of the 11th World Spice Congress in Pune the other day. The decision of the Spices Board to constitute Spices Producer Companies is a pointer to this.
Tweet-- The Indian Spice Industry will take up a quality capacity building exercise jointly with USFDA [United States Food Drug Administration] enabling every segment of the spice industry to face the challenges of international trade and commerce in spices. This will start right from the spices growers across the Country. This was declared by the Chairman of the Spices Board India, Dr A. Jayathilak IAS at the concluding session of the 11th World Spice Congress in Pune the other day. The decision of the Spices Board to constitute Spices Producer Companies is a pointer to this.
Mr Bruce Ross, India country director of the USFDA, who was present at the Congress had suggested that initiatives on such a massive scale will be supported by USFDA since such initiatives on aquaculture in Bangladesh has yielded promising results. The proposed programme on spices in India could take shape very easily as the Spices Board is already on the job, Dr Jayathilak said and promised wholehearted support to the offer since the farmer will stand benefit ultimately. The Spices Board India has been undertaking programmes throughout the country especially in the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh to effectively link the spices farmers of these states to the supply chain linked to exports. These efforts had so far helped in bringing into the lime light the farmers especially of seed spices like cumin, fennel, fenugreek, dill, coriander, mustard, chillies and turmeric the cause of farmers of cardamom, pepper, nutmeg also. The Board has proposed plans for programmes in the next Plan period to focus attention on export oriented production of ten spices like nutmeg, chillies, mint, cumin, fennel, coriander, fenugreek, black pepper, turmeric, ginger. Cardamom is already a focus commodity.
The farmers in the remote growing villages will become part of the international link and this will be an effective and great link in the supply chain ensuring traceability. The Spices Board is already on the job through the initiatives called " Sugandha Sangams" in the country where the focus is on to bring into the fold the farmers, traders, processors, exporters, scientists, officials of the Departments of Agriculture and Horticulture besides the agriculture and horticulture universities of the States besides the Spices Board under one umbrella with the single focussed objective of promoting exports of quality spices and spices exporters which will guarantee quality in every aspect meeting the various standards of different countries of the world.
Other countries are also likely to follow this pattern as the supplies of spices are of utmost importance.
The Congress paved the way of series of interactions with international quality regulators from countries like the US, European Union, Canada and Japan. The Congress culminated in taking multifarious decisions which were also subscribed by delegates from other spice producing countries. The different buying countries are imposing different standards for quality regulations which often results in hampering smooth trade and commerce. It was decided that efforts are to be taken up for harmonising standards, residue limits and regulatory issues.
Almost all the spices producing countries are facing issues of low productivity due to poor quality of planting and seed materials and shortage of labour. The need for research and effective schemes for soil management were also called for. One of the highlights was the need to take up on an urgent basis formation of spices growers' societies that could result in empowering farmers for better practices and direct involvement in the supply demand chain.
Dr.Jayathilak assured that the recommendations of the Congress will be taken up very seriously and action plan will start in the next two months. The link from the farmer to the Government, regulatory agencies and the industry need to be strengthened for knowledge dissemination and better productivity.
All the quality labs of the Spices Board will soon be accredited for the very latest certifications for international acceptability. The Spices Board will also set up task forces for various spices to address all the issues of quality, linkages and sourcing, Dr Jayathilak said.
Mr Geemon Korah, Chairman of the All India Spices Exporters Forum has promised support of the exporters for all the initiatives and recommendations of the Congress which was attended by representatives of farmers of various spices from different parts of the country, besides traders, exporters and officials of Agriculture departments of States and Spices Board. The Congress had international representations of over 200 delegates from 40 countries besides over 300 Indian delegates.
The 12th World Spice Congress will be held in Feb2014 in Kerala.