India’s Spices Production Increases 60% To 10.7 Mt In 2020-21

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said during the release of the "Spice Statistics at a Glance 2021," published by the Directorate of Betel Nut and Spices Development under the Ministry of Agriculture, that India's spices production has increased by 60% to 10.7 million tonnes (mt) in 2020-21 from 6.76 mt in 2014-15. 

Spice exports nearly doubled to Rs 29,535 crore ($3.98 billion) last year from Rs 14,899 crore in 2014-15, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, thanks to a record harvest of commodities such as chilli, ginger, turmeric, and cumin. In terms of volume, exports climbed from 0.89 million tonnes to 1.6 million tonnes in the last seven years. Spices account for around 41% of all horticulture exports. 

The annual growth rate of spices production was about 7.9 per cent in which cumin recorded 14.8 per cent, garlic 14.7 per cent, ginger 7.5 per cent, fennel 6.8 per cent, coriander 6.2 per cent, fenugreek 5.8 per cent, red chilli 4.2 per cent and turmeric 1.3 per cent over the seven years. 

The release stated that the spectacular growth of spices in the country is due to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare various development programmes, and that the demand for spices has increased tremendously due to the recognition of spices as a health supplement, particularly during the pandemic period, as evidenced by the growing export of spices such as turmeric, ginger, cumin, and chilli. 

Tomar was addressing during the launch of the "Spice Statistics at a Glance - 2021" handbook. On Tuesday, he released the book, which includes statistics on the area, production, productivity, export, import, price, and value of output of various spices produced in the country. 

Statistics on production, acreage data, yield, export-import, historical prices, values, and nutritional values of the commodities are included in the book.  

Tomar commented that this statistical collection will aid policymakers and stakeholders in the spice industry, such as scientists, researchers, and farmers, in strategic planning.