Spices Board opens evaluation lab in Mumbai

"Speedy testing of export samples from Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kolkata besides Mumbai will now be possible with the setting up this state-of-the-art laboratory in the metropolis," Chairman of Spices Board V J Kurian said after the inauguration ceremony.     

"The Board also plans to set up more such laboratories in Chennai, Delhi, Kolkatta and Guntur," he said.     

Earlier, all the samples had to be tested in Cochin, that houses the only laboratory for last 17 years and tests over 35,000 samples annually, he said.     

Hence, the need for such a laboratary in Mumbai was felt for quite some time as the metropolis is a major exporting hub for spices, especially chillies, chilli products and tumeric powder, he added.     

The Mumbai region accounts for a whopping share of 39 per cent in value (Rs 1,173 crore) and 34 per cent in volume in the total exports during last financial year when the country's spices exports crossed the USD one-billion mark.     

Set up at a cost of Rs 5 crore in Vashi, the lab is equipped with ultra modern gadgets like CMS-MSS, HPCL and Atomic Absorption Spectrometer capabale of high accuracy tests for any international standard.