The Hindu : Business : Spice Congress opens today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 27, 2006

Business

Business

Spice Congress opens today

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: The Spices Board has urged exporters to focus on niche marketing and value addition to offset competition from cheap sources of spice and allied products. Brand promotion and production of organic spices too will help them tap the quality-conscious global market, said the Board Chairman, C. J. Jose.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, ahead of the three-day World Spice Congress commencing here on January 27, Mr. Jose said exporters were grappling with low productivity and high cost of production in India.

The Board encouraged export houses to set up new laboratories and upgrade existing ones, he said.

Stressing the need to meet the food safety requirements of export destinations, Mr. Jose said the Board would allow neither export nor domestic marketing of contaminated spice products. Thomas Philip, Chairman of the All India Spices Exporters Forum, said the meet was an opportunity for international buyers to see for themselves the technology upgradation taking place in India.

According to him, representatives from at least 26 countries were expected to participate in the meet — Food safety in spices: Challenges and opportunities.

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