Karnataka   

Centre ready to set up Spices Park in State

New facility: Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh checking a chilli pod after inaugurating the chilli processing plant at Byadgi in Haveri district on Friday. Manjunath Kunnur, MP, the former Minister H.K. Patil and others are seen.

ByADGI (Haveri District): Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh has said that the Spices Board of India was ready to set up a “Spices Park” in the region comprising Dharwad, Haveri and Gadag districts.

He inaugurated a chilly processing plant set up at Byadgi in Haveri district on Friday. The plant is the first such unit to be set up by the Government of India through STCL Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Spices Trading Corporation of India Limited.

Mr. Ramesh said the Spices Board had taken steps to set up such Spices Parks in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. If the State Government extends cooperation, a similar park would be established in an area of 100 acres of land with an investment of Rs. 10 crore, he said. The objective of such parks was to encourage private industries to invest in value addition of agricultural and horticultural crops, he added.

Mr. Ramesh said that during the last financial year, chilli worth Rs. 1,000 crore was exported. However, most of the exports did not comprise value-added products, he said.

Mr. Ramesh said that Byadgi chilli had a special value and was in great demand because of its colour and also because of its less pungent odour. There was need to protect the brand identity, he said.

He said that like Mysore Mallige and Darjeeling Tea, there was a need for getting Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Byadgi chilli. Mr. Ramesh said he would direct the officials of the Spices Board to take steps in this regard. A GI tag would be of great help to the farmers in getting better price for their yield, he said.

Mr. Ramesh said solar drying units had been set up Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, which is also known for highest output of chilli. “I will direct the officials to look into whether similar solar drying units could be set up in Byadgi,” he said.

He said he would ask the officials to look into whether it was possible to give more subsidy for purchase of tarpaulin for chilli growers.

The Minister underscored the need for growing organic chilli and told the farmers that they would get better price for their yield.

Responding to the plea by the former Minister H.K. Patil and MP Manjunath Kunnur, Mr. Ramesh said that in six months laboratory facility would be set up in Byadgi for testing the quality of the products of chilli meant for export.

The facility would cost Rs. 1.5 crore, he said.

Earlier, formally inaugurating chilly processing plant set up at a cost of Rs. 4.5 crore on a five-acre land, Mr. Ramesh watched the functioning of the processing unit for few minutes.

Principal Secretary to Government of India, Department of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of STCL Limited Aravind Pandalai, Managing Director K.C. Ponnanna and others were present.

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