Maintaining exportable surplus of major spices confirming to stringent regulations, a challenge: Spice Board secretary

One of the major challenges the Indian spice sector will face in the future will be confirmation to stringent regulations that exist in global markets, P Hemalatha IAS, Secretary of the Spices Board, said at the third edition of the National Spice Conference (NSC) 2024 that concluded here recently.

“The Indian spice industry is equipped to meet the global demands and contributes to 25 per cent of the international spice trade. However, with the increasing awareness on food safety and quality in the global markets, one of the major challenges the Indian spice sector will face in the future will be to maintain the exportable surplus of the major spices that confirm to the stringent regulations.” stated Hemalatha in an official release here.

Supply chain resilience

This year’s conference, themed “Sustainable Spices Supply Chain – Way Forward,” focused on enhancing the resilience of the supply chain through sustainable practices, with an emphasis on quality assurance, new technologies and opportunities for farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to access new markets.

Archana Sinha, Secretary, Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee stated, “It is crucial to develop policies that benefit the farmers, industry and consumers alike. CIB-RC has taken steps to help register more pesticides and establish more Maximum Residue Limits for pesticides through crop-grouping, rationalisation of registration guidelines and ease of registration of new and safer pesticide molecules.”

The conference witnessed a series of sessions focused on building a food-safe and sustainable supply chain, covering topics such as quality assurance, regulatory frameworks and sustainable agricultural practices. Industry experts discussed strategies to enhance spice yield, maintain quality and incorporate technology, all aimed at securing a resilient supply chain.