Govt to Establish Spices Quality Evaluation Lab & Training Centre at Guwahati

According to State Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam government and Spices Board will establish a quality evaluation laboratory and training centre for spices in Guwahati to help develop the region's spice industry.

The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of Assam in spice production, saying his state can leverage its potential to become a major hub for post-harvest processing and value addition of spices from the North-Eastern region, as well as one of the major exporting hubs.

The Chief Minister stated that steps are being taken to make the best use of schemes such as PM-DevlNE and One District One Product, as well as to convert the 'by-default organic' tag of spices to 'certified organic' or 'organic by design.'

He was there to kick off the International Buyer Seller Meet and Spices Conclave (IBSM) organized by Spices Board at Guwahati.

India produces 75 of the 109 ISO-listed varieties of spices and has emerged as the world's largest producer, consumer, and exporter. Because of the high quality of organic spices, the North-East has received special attention. Every year, Assam produces nearly 3.1 lakh tonnes of spices.

Tage Taki, Arunachal Pradesh's Minister for Agriculture, emphasized the importance of adequate technology and institutional support in developing the region's spice sector.

The International Buyer Seller Meet and Spices Conclave, according to D Sathiyan, Secretary, Spices Board, "is being planned to promote the indigenous spices of the eight North-Eastern States, particularly the GI-tagged varieties of Sikkim Large Cardamom, Assam Karbi Anglong Ginger, Naga Mircha, Bird's Eye Chilli (Mizo Chilli), Hathei Chilly, and Dalle Khursani."

The programme aims to establish direct trade links between the region's indigenous, high-quality spices and national and international buyers. The Spices Board presented large cardamom productivity awards for 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22.