Spice exporters facing stiff competition: Scindia

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SME Times News Bureau | 08 May, 2012
Indian spice exporters are facing stiff competition from their global peers, particularly those from countries like Vietnam, Guatemala and China, the Lok Sabha was informed Monday.

"India is facing stiff price competition from other major spices producing countries like Vietnam, Guatemala and China," said Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Jyotiradiya M. Scindia in a written reply.

"In the case of Pepper, being the largest producer and having higher productivity, Vietnam is in a position to offer their produce at a lower price as compared with Indian pepper," he said.

"Similarly for Cardamom, being the largest producer and having negligible domestic consumption, Guatemala is selling their produce at a lower price," he pointed out.

“China also now offers Chilli at a lower price than the Indian produce,” he added.

On measures taken to promote the spice sector, he said that the government has approved establishment of Spice Parks to establish common infrastructure facilities in the major spices growing centres for cleaning, processing, colour sorting, grading & packing facilities etc, primarily to empower the spice farmers through value addition and quality improvement of spices.

At present two spice parks at Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh and Puttadi in Idukki district of Kerala have started functioning. Spice Park at Jodhpur in Rajasthan has been inaugurated on April 7 this year.

Beside the Quality Evaluation Laboratory already functioning in Head Office of Spices Board, Cochin, Government has approved establishment of seven Regional Quality Evaluation Lab-cum-Training centre in major port cities of the country for testing and evaluating the quality of spices being exported from the Country, Scindia said.

These centres are proposed to be set up in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu), Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Kolkata, the minister added.