NEW DELHI: Globally-renowned India spices are all set to acquire a new brand name. Promising better quality, the Spices Board of India has decided to market Indian spices under its newly registered brand name `Flavourite'. And ensuring quality supply chain for the new premium brand will be the Spices Parks that are being set up in various States.

"The Spices Board has already set up its wholly-owned subsidiary, Flavourite Spices Trading Limited, with an initial investment of Rs. 10 crore. Flavourite will be the first Indian spices brand to be recognised globally. We will be supplying quality spices across the globe after sourcing its from various States," said Union Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh.

Though the online sale of Flavourite spices had already begun on a small scale, full-fledged marketing of spices and other products like tea and coffee would begin in the next 12 months, he said.

Spices export last fiscal stood at $793 million, accounting for 40 per cent of the total global exports, while this year, the target was to achieve $880 million, the Minister said. "However, only nine per cent of the total spices produced are exported. There is huge potential for growth in exports, particularly that of value-added exports," he said. Mr. Ramesh said to improve the quality of products, the Spices Board had taken the task of setting up exclusive Spices Parks in various States that would promote value addition so that spices exports could fetch better prices. Spices Parks would form a crucial part of the supply chain of the new venture, he added.

"The work on two Spice Parks, one each for cardamom and pepper, has already begun in Kerala, while a Spice Park for chilly will come up at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and for mint in Uttar Pradesh."

To boost spices exports, the Spices Board has now decided to focus on other States also, particularly Uttar Pradesh (mint), Jammu and Kashmir (saffron and red chilly), Rajasthan (coriander), North Eastern States (organic ginger and turmeric) and Andhra Pradesh (chilly). A testing lab worth over Rs. 3 crore is also being set up at Guwahati in Assam for organic products, while a Rs.450-crore spices re-plantation project in Kerala has started.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail