BHUBANESWAR: India is one of the largest producer and exporter of spices in the world. It is also a big consumer of spices. We have an illustrious history of producing and exporting spices to around 80 countries.
Western countries and the nations of West Asia look to India for importing spices. The country is known widely for producing high-quality spices like cumin, black pepper, cardamom, ginger, chillies and turmeric. It produces around 60 spices thanks to its diverse climatic conditions.
Odisha is home to spices like turmeric, black pepper, cardamom and many others. Interestingly, Odisha has also received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for some spices. Odisha is also suitable for growing coffee as places like Nandapur, Lamataput, Laxmipur, Semiliguda, Dasmantpur and Pottangi blocks of Koraput has immense potential for coffee plantations.
But the cultivation of spices is getting hampered by unscientific agriculture practices like the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Rampant use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers leaves residues in the environment and pollutes the soil.
This is the reason why exporters reject many of our spices as they have failed to meet standards. There is an urgent need to address this issue to make sure that spices are properly cultivated and harvested.
Many workshops were organised after cyclone Fani to create awareness among farmers on how to get better yields from the cultivation of spices. Kandhamal Haldi, a variety of turmeric is an example of this.
A farmer Ekadasdhi Nanda said, “Odisha is slowly becoming the hub of spices and we are proud that our state is competing with other states in cultivating spices. The recent inclusion of Amrit Jal in organic farming will yield good results. In fact, Odisha has already made its mark in global spice markets.”
IFFCO Kisan provides expert advice to hundreds of FPOs and farmers regarding best practices in the cultivation of spices. It is also associated with the trading of cumin and turmeric, and helps progressive farmers and FPOs to sell their spices easily.
It has sponsored many quality enhancement programmes along with crop and zone specific advisory services in regional languages to encourage and support farmers to adopt good agriculture practices (GAPs).This ensures that our spices adhere to the requirements of export markets.
Sandeep Malhotra, MD and CEO, IFFCO Kisan, said, “We’ve launched training programmes at the block and district levels for FPOs and farmers in good agriculture practices. We have been encouraging farmers to adopt GAPs and produce safe spices which will meet international standards. It will help them get good prices for their produce.”
“Due to the wide acceptance of organic farming and FPOs, progressive farmers have started organic farming of spices under the guidance of IFFCO Kisan. It will maintain the taste and health benefits of spices intact. Quality is an essential parameter in the export of spices as consuming countries like the US, Vietnam and UAE have strict quality norms,” he added.
