The export of spices and spice-based value added products during April-August increased 13 per cent in volume and 19 per cent in value terms. The increase in dollar terms was 25 per cent.
According to the latest estimates of the Spices Board, a total of 239,850 tonnes, valued at Rs 2,600.51 crore ($564.85 million), was exported as against 211,950 tonnes valued at Rs 2,190.50 crore ($ 450.50 million) in April-August 2009.
The growth in exports slowed during the period as April-May registered an increase of 30 per cent each in volume and value. In April- June, 17 per cent rise was registered in volume and 19 per cent in value terms.
Compared to the export target of 465,000 tonnes fixed for the financial year 2010-11, the achievement of 239,850 tonnes during April-August is 52 per cent in terms of quantity. During April-August, the export of chilli, ginger, fennel, garlic, other spices like tamarind, asafoetida, etc increased both in volume and value.
The export of value-added products like curry powder and spice oils and oleoresin increased too. However, in the case of pepper, cardamom (small), turmeric and mint products the increase was confined only to value.
The spices like cardamom (large), cumin, celery, nutmeg & mace and other seeds like mustard Seed, dill seed, ajwanseed etc. decreased both in volume and value as compared to last year.
Garlic exports were at 13,250 tonnes valued at Rs 49.80 crore registering a 327 per cent rise in volume and 688 per cent increase in value. Export of ginger increased 163 per cent in volume and 111 per cent in value at 4,150 tonnes valued at Rs 27.97 crore.
Around 83 per cent of the yearly target of 5,000 tonnes has already been achieved according to the data. In case of fennel, volume-wise increase was 47 per cent and value-wise it was 73 per cent. Chilli exports were 102,750 tonnes valued at Rs 631.74 crore as against 76,000 tonnes valued at Rs 467.60 crore, registering a growth of 35 per cent in volume and value.
Cardamom, both small and large and nutmeg and mace suffered a setback in the five-month period. Export of large cardamom dipped 82 per cent at just 90 tonnes and that of small cardamom by 33 per cent at 200 tonnes. Nutmeg and mace exports decreased 50 per cent in volume and 22 per cent in value at 725 tonnes valued at Rs 28.06 crore, according to the estimates.
Registering a seven per cent increase, export of curry powder exports were 6,250 tonnes valued at Rs 81 crore. A total of 3,155 tonnes of spice oils and oleoresins valued at Rs 371.95 crore were also shipped during the period, registering an increase of 15 per cent.
