India's April spices exports up 28%

India's spices exports increased 28 per cent, both in value and volume terms, in April this year over the same month last year, according to the Spices Board.

While in quantity terms, exports reached 56,910 tonnes in the month under review, in value-terms, it rose to Rs 525 crore. In comparison, the country exported 44,595 tonnes worth Rs 412 crore in April 2009.

Shipments for chili, the highest forex earner among the spices, stood at 19,750 tonnes in the month and was valued at Rs 121.46 crore at an average price of Rs 61.5 a kg.

The highest growth in exports was recorded by garlic -- a whopping 6,282 per cent in quantity and 4738 per cent in terms of value. In comparison, exports were 5,425 lakh tonnes and valued at Rs 19.47 crore in April last year.

Cumin exports, however, declined by eight per cent, in value terms, at Rs 55.56 crore in April against Rs 60.24 crore in the same month last year.

India had exported spices worth Rs 5,560.5 crore in the last fiscal, up five per cent over the previous fiscal. Export in terms of volume stood at 5.02 lakh tonnes in 2009-10.

Spices Board Chairman V J Kurien had recently said that the country was targeting 5.25 lakh tonnes in exports, valued at Rs 6,000 crore, in the current fiscal.