The Hindu Business Line : Spices export loses flavour, down Rs 182 cr

SPICES export declined by Rs 181.63 crore during 2003-04 fiscal on drop in shipments of mint products, pepper, cumin and some other items. Total spices export slipped to Rs 1,905.08 crore in 2003-04 from Rs 2,086 rore the previous year.

Though the exports showed an increase of Rs 5.08 crore over the target of Rs 1,900 crore set by the Government for the last fiscal, the decline was substantial from that of 2002-03, a senior Spices Board official said.

He said exports of chilli, coriander and turmeric had gone up. Pepper, cumin, fenugreek, other seeds, curry powder, spice oils and oleoresins dropped.

During 2003-04 fiscal, 2,46,566 tonnes of spices valued at Rs 1,905.08 crore were exported as against 2,64,107 tonnes worth Rs 2,086 crore in 2002-03.

Export of chilli surpassed the target of 76,000 tonnes valued at Rs 304 crore to touch 81,500 tonnes valued at Rs 355.11 crore, up from the previous year's 81,022 tonnes worth Rs 315.15 crore.

Turmeric increased from 32,403 tonnes, valued at Rs 103.38 crore, to 34,500 tonnes worth Rs 127.52 crore. Similarly, coriander was up to 21,000 tonnes valued at Rs 71.04 crore from 18,065 tonnes valued at Rs 55.65 crore.

Pepper dropped from 21,609 tonnes worth Rs 178.88 crore to 16,700 tonnes valued at Rs 143.50 crore, he said. The value added products viz., spice oils and oleoresins, curry powder and mint products showed a decline, he added.

There was a sharp fall of over 3,000 tonnes in the exports of ginger. But the high unit value in the international market helped the value realisation remain intact at the previous year's levels, he pointed out.

Attributing the drop in exports mainly to the decline in the mint products, Mr S. Kannan, Director, Marketing Spices Board told Business Line that some exporters who were not registered with the Spices Board were shipping mint and products. These items are included in the list of chemical products exports promotion council and hence, they could not be incorporated in the export figures of the Spices Board.

The issue had been taken with the Union Commerce Ministry, which had, in fact, agreed that all mint and mint products would be covered under spices.

He said the Board had asked the Commissioners of Customs at all major ports in the country to advise the exporters of mint and mint products, but have not registered so far with the Board, to do so.

As per Section 11 and Rule 15 of the Spices Board Act of 1986, exporter of spices and spice products has to register with the Board before carrying out any business of export of every spice or spice products, he said. Yet, some exporters are still exporting mint and mint products without registration. Export of all spices and spice products including mint in any form are subject to payment of export cess at 0.5 per cent ad-valorem. The mint and mint products, which fall under spices list under the revised classification are mint leaves (all species), menthol, menthol crystals, essential oil of peppermint, spearmint oil, water mint oil, horsemint oil, bergament oil, other mint oils, Japanese mint oil and de-menthalised Japanese mint oil, he said.

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