Govt Launches Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme for Cardamom Farmers

On Saturday, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal launched a Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme for cardamom growers in the Western Ghats. The Minister announced this programme in conjunction with the Spices Board's Coral Jubilee celebrations. The Minister then held a meeting with growers and exporters to discuss the scheme.

Officials from the Spices Board stated Idukki will be prioritized for the Weather-Based Insurance plan. The project will cover around 2,500 hectares of cardamom grown land, and small-scale farmers in the district will profit from the trial scheme from 2021 to 2026.

BVR Subramanyam, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, delivered the special address. AG Thankappan, Chairman, Spices Board delivered the presidential address in the presence of D Sathiyan, Secretary, Spices Board, and Malaai Kumar Poddar, Managing Director and Chairman, Agricultural Insurance Company.

The minister emphasized the importance of ensuring food safety and quality, and he urged all stakeholders to work together to bring the goodness of indigenous Indian spices such as Kashmir Saffron, Naga Chilli, Lakadong Turmeric, and UP's Kalonji to foreign markets.

Major Events

• Other key events will take place throughout the fortnight-long celebrations, including a facilitation programme titled 'Decoding the Flavoured Profiles of International Cuisines' on March 3 in collaboration with the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition (IHM), Pusa for the benefit of spice exporters.

• On March 4, Spice Xchange India will host a virtual international buyer-seller meet in partnership with the Indian Embassy in Japan to enhance spice exports.

• On March 7, an e-sale of giant cardamom will be held in conjunction with the main event in Dimapur, Nagaland, to help large cardamom growers in the North-East.

• The distribution of production awards for small cardamom growers for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 will take place on March 9 in Kochi. In the organic category, there is also a special award for the highest productivity.

• On March 11, a Spice Exporters Conclave on 'Vision-2047' will be convened with experts and important stakeholders, including industry leaders, to establish the road map for the spice sector's future growth.

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