Rs 192.69 cr for Indian spices' promotion

The Centre has approved the Spices Board’s initiative of ‘Export Development and Promotion of Spices Scheme’ with an outlay of Rs 192.69 crore for implementation during the 11th Five Year Plan.

Speaking at the 115th annual conference of the United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI), R Chandrasekhar, director-development, Spices Board, said, “The main thrust areas of the scheme include promoting high technology and high-end value addition in spice processingôpackaging, quality control facilities for producing quality products.”

“The scheme will also include setting up of a spices park with common facilities for producing quality products, setting up of a spices park with common processing facilities and to improve the quality of spices and motivate new entrepreneurs, promote product research to establish the health and medicinal value of spices,” he added.

As a step towards this, spices parks has been proposed at seven places in the country like Sivaganga (Tamil Nadu), Guntur (Andhra Pradesh), Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh), Jalawar (Rajasthan) and Idukki (Kerala). Cardamon exports trends according to Upasi statistics, there is now a change in the quantum of exports during April-July 2008 compared to the corresponding period.

But there has been a 66.2 per cent increase in value realisation on account of an increase in the unit value from Rs 373.79 per kg to Rs 621.38 per kg.

As for exports from India, it declined during 2007-08 and was placed at 500 tonnes compared to 650 tonnes reported during the previous year.

Cardamon production during 2007-08 was estimated to be lower at 9,470 tonnes compared to 11,540 tonnes in 2006-07. Low average productivity levels is said to be the reason for the decline in productivity.

The latest trends in pepper exports indicate that there has been a drop in the quantity exported by 2,550 tonnes during April-July 2008 compared to April-July 2007. This had the bearing on the value realisation despite the increase in the unit value from Rs 143.71 to Rs 168.99 per kg.

As for the prices, the January - August 2008 period saw increasing trend and it continues. The price realisation was Rs 143.95 per kg compared to Rs 134.18 per kg during the corresponding period of the last year, an increase of Rs 9.77 per kg.