Spices Board meet brings close NE, subcontinent buyers-sellers

In a bid to explore possibilities of trade promotion and market linkage, Spices Board organised a buyer-seller meet here that witnessed a congregation of spice farmers and sellers from the North East region and exporters and traders from the subcontinent.
The buyer-seller meet 'Eastern Emporia - from the farmlands of North East' - facilitated trial orders which may turn into a potential spice trade worth Rs 10 crore in the next one year.
Around 100 sellers and 60 buyers attended the meet last week featuring major spices of indigenous varieties such as ginger, turmeric, large cardamom, Bhut Jalokia, Bird's Eye Chilli, cinnamon and black pepper, besides locally grown medicinal and aromatic herbs, said a Spices Board press release today.

Stating that the Buyer-Seller Meet was organised together with the 4th Assam International Agri Horti Show 2017, the release said the Spices Board's stall in the international pavilion provided a platform for primary processors, aggregators and processing units from the eight North Eastern states to showcase their capabilities and capacities.
The North East states are home to a variety of spice crops and that 'Lakadong Turmeric' with highest curcumin content of 7.6 per cent is indigenous to the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya.
Arunachal Pradesh is fast emerging as the leading player in cultivation and production of large cardamom, while black pepper is abundantly grown amid the vast tea gardens of Assam and the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya, the release said.

Likewise, a variety of chilli peppers ranging from the famed Bhot Jalokia (King Chilly) to the shining tiny red Bird's Eye chillies are grown in the North Eastern Region.
Also the North-East region has several ginger varieties which serve both industrial and culinary purposes, it said adding, 'Nadia Ginger' is known for its less fibre, higher oil and oleoresin content.
The favourable agro-climatic conditions and slightly acidic soil of the region suit the cultivation of spices and adds to its intrinsic qualities, while its organic cultivation practices make the region the 'organic hotspot' of India, the release said.