SPICED to boost small, large cardamom farming

Spices Board scheme is meant to expand the area under cardamom and increase productivity of small and large cardamom, generating surplus for export of quality spices through post-harvest improvement

The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has approved a Spices Board scheme, ‘Sustainability in spice sector through progressive, innovative and collaborative interventions for export development’ (SPICED), for implementation during the remaining term of the 15th Finance Commission, up to 2025-26.

The Spices Board scheme is meant to expand the area under cardamom and increase productivity of small and large cardamom, generating surplus for export of quality spices through post-harvest improvement.

The other goals of the SPICED scheme are to increase the share of value-added spices in the export basket, evaluating compliance with export consignments with applicable standards of quality and safety, capacity building, and skill development of stakeholders.

The board announced that the submission of applications for the scheme can be done till October 20 this year and exporters, farmers, farmer-producer companies, and other stakeholders in the spices sector can look at the guidelines before submitting online applications.

The major components of the scheme are improving productivity, post-harvest quality upgradation, market expansion efforts, trade promotion, technology interventions, research and capacity building, and skill development.

According to Spices Board data, small cardamom exports stood at 1,850 tonnes during 2019-20, 6,486 tonnes during 2020-21, 10,571 tonnes during 2021-22, 7,352 tonnes (provisional) during 2022-23, and 6,168 tonnes (provisional) during 2023-24.

Large cardamom exports stood at 1,310 tonnes during 2019-20 and 1,220 tonnes, 1,981 tonnes, 1,883 tonnes, and 1,281 tonnes respectively during the following years.

During 2023-24, spices exports as a whole from India was worth $4,464 million for a quantity of 15,39,692 tonnes.

The data also show that acreage under small cardamom in the country stood at 70,410 hectares with a total production of 25,230 tonnes during 2023-24 while large cardamom is cultivated in 45,596 hectares and the production is 9,288 tonnes during the same year.

Published - September 21, 2024 06:33 pm IST