Q&A: V J Kurien, Chairman, Spices Board

'We are always ready to help in the development of any spice'

Given the decline in exports, the Spices Board has decided to pump in Rs 230 crore to double pepper production to 100,000 tonnes in a couple of years. V J Kurien, chairman of the Board, talks of this and other programmes in an interview with Dilip Kumar Jha. Excerpts:

What is the reason for the fresh investment for increasing pepper output?
The board has undertaken a crash programme to step up production as availability of pepper for exports has been coming down year after year. The programme is being executed with active involvement of the National Horticultural Mission and the Union agriculture ministry. However, the intervention by the board in promoting pepper cultivation is presently limited to just two predominantly pepper growing districts of Kerala, Idukki and Wayanad, and the Northeast. The board has sent a similar proposal for Karnataka, which is under consideration.

Does the board have similar plans for other spices?
Yes, if a situation like the one in pepper occurs in any other spice, the board will request the agriculture ministry to engage it in production development. The government will extend financial support, while the board will provide advisory services. The board has conceived a plan to make available quality seedlings to cumin farmers in Rajasthan. We will be setting up a farm in Jalwarpatnam in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan with the support of the state horticulture department and the National Research Centre for Seed Spices, Ajmer. Crop development is the concern of the departments of agriculture of state governments and the present challenge has been bestowed upon the board by the agriculture ministry itself.

There is a sense that the Spices Board is active only in spices produced largely in the South.
No. The board has been giving importance to almost all spices, prioritising those with major importance in terms of value realisation. The board has been taking up programmes to promote cardamom cultivation on a scientific basis in Sikkim, development of other spices in the Northeast in a big way, improvement of post-harvest programmes for seed spices in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and chillies and turmeric in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We deployed officials in almost all spice growing states to take care of the requirements. Every year, our campaign team meets farmers and educates them. The board set up the first Spice Park in Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh.

It is also setting up a chain of spice parks in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. A chain of quality evaluation laboratories is also coming up in New Delhi, Kolkata, Kandla, Tuticorin and Chennai. We have already established state-of-the-art labs in Guntur and Mumbai, besides the one in Cochin, for quality checks before exports. Farmers can also check the extent of contamination and other residues in the products at these labs.

Decontrolled turmeric and cumin seed prices have hit the roof in the past, largely due to low output. Can output be increased through the board’s active involvement?
The prices of spices are determined by supply-demand forces. The price variation in export-oriented spices also depends on global availability, that is, the supply from our competitors. When production dips, the price goes up. The board will be willing to take up any programme to raise production so that quantities are available for exports. At present, it has no plan to involve in the production development of turmeric.