Spices exports rise 8.1% in April-Sept

Driven by a surge in garlic, ginger and chilli shipments from the country, India’s spice export jumped over 8.11 per cent to 273,000 tonnes in the first six months of the current financial year.

The total shipment of spices in the corresponding period of the last fiscal were around 253,000 tonnes, the Spices Board said in a statement.

In terms of value, the exports of spices has increased by 15.7 per cent to Rs 3,095.35 crore in the April-September period of the current fiscal, as against Rs 2,675.13 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal, the board said.

According to spices’ board data, shipments of garlic have increased more than three fold to 14,750 tonnes in the first half of current fiscal. In value terms, garlic export achieved a five-fold increase to Rs 55.65 crore during the six months, largely due to global shortage of the commodity.

Ginger exports from the country also rose during the period by over two fold to 4,450 tonnes in volume terms and in 98 per cent to Rs 32.47 crore in value terms.

Chilli shipments rose by 28 per cent in the first half of the fiscal to to 117,500 tonne.

According to the industry experts, the drop in Chinese chilli production this year has also aided in better realisation for Indian exporters.

Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia are main buyers of Indian chilli. India has exported 4,500 tonnes of garlic in the same period last fiscal, the board said.