India earns more from low spice sales

INDIAN spice exports generated higher revenue between April and August 2011 than the same period a year ago despite the volumes being lower on this occasion. Value was up 26% to Rs33.65bn ($672.66m) from Rs26.76bn earlier while the volume declined 23% to 195,500 tonnes from 255,100 tonnes previously. The principal drivers for the export growth […]

Read more

Indian spice exports surge 26 percent in value despite slump in volume

INDIAN spice exports generated higher revenue between April and August 2011 than the same period a year ago despite the volumes being lower on this occasion. Value was up 26% to Rs33.65bn ($672.66m) from Rs26.76bn earlier while the volume declined 23% to 195,500 tonnes from 255,100 tonnes previously. A report in The Business Line said […]

Read more

India says cardamom rot not a concern

THE Indian Spices Board has said incidences of rot disease in cardamom plantations in Kerala’s Idukki district should not raise undue concern. Fungal diseases were common during the monsoon season and the severity was a bit more than usual but not to alarming levels, the board said. Unlike previous years, the cardamom tracts in Idukki […]

Read more

Indian Spices Board reassures over fungal disease in cardamom plantations

THE Indian Spices Board has said incidence of rot disease in cardamam plantations in Kerala’s Idukki district was due to the current monsoon and the situation was not alarming. Fungal diseases were of common occurrence during monsoon season and the severity was a bit more this time, although it was not alarming, the board said […]

Read more

India campaigns to improve quality of its nutmeg

THE Indian Spices Board has suggested a series of measures to enhance the quality of the country’s nutmeg and mace in order to better meet the strict regulations imposed by key importers. The board also plans to position nutmeg as a purely organic crop and would undertake campaigns to promote its uses and benefits. It […]

Read more

Indian Spices Board steps up moves to improve nutmeg and mace quality

THE Indian Spices Board has suggested a series of measures to enhance the quality of the country’s nutmeg and mace in order to better meet the strict regulations imposed by major nutmeg importers such as the EU. The board also plans to position nutmeg as a purely organic crop and would undertake campaigns to promote […]

Read more

Spices Board puts emphasis on organic cultivation

THE Spices Board of India has said that organic spice cultivation would be a priority in the 12th Five Year Plan programmes to be submitted to the government. Spices Board chairman A Jayathilak said the spices body will set up a laboratory for testing organic input and output at the Indian Cardamom Research Institute in […]

Read more

Indian quarterly spice shipments jump

INDIA’S spices exports rose by 21% to Rs18.85bn ($433.2m) in the first quarter of the fiscal year due to better prices. Indeed, exports by volume for the quarter were just 116,000 tonnes, a 26% fall from 157,000 tonnes in the April to June period last year, according to the data released by the Spices Board. […]

Read more

Chilli leads way in Japan’s spice import increase

AN uptick in Japan’s chilli, coriander and turmeric purchases were behind an overall rise in demand for foreign spices in the first half of the year. Total imports of all spices increased by 3% to 56,680 tonnes in the first half of 2011, but fell short of the higher 2009 level for the six-month period […]

Read more

Cardamom farms shirk pesticide laws

INDIAN cardamom growers are often using pesticides that have not been registered with the Central Insecticides Board (CIB) for use in growing the spice. J Thomas, director of the Indian Cardamom Research Institute, told The New Indian Express: “As per norms, every pesticide has to be registered with the CIB specifying the crop in which […]

Read more