The Hindu Business Line : Spices exports up by Rs 278 cr in April-Oct

A SUBSTANTIAL increase in exports of value-added products such as spice oils and oleoresins, curry powder/paste and condiments, chilli, coriander, turmeric and cumin, has pushed up the overall exports of spices during April-October 2004 to over Rs 1,260 crore as against Rs 982 crore in the same period last fiscal.

TValue-added products have contributed over 30 per cent of the total export earnings with Rs 478 crore. This would have been much more had there not been a decline in the exports of mint products, Mr S. Kannan, Director (Marketing), Spices Board, told Business Line on Tuesday.

"If this trend continues, the total exports this fiscal are expected to cross the target of Rs 2,000 crore", he said.

During April-October, exports stood at 2,08,550 tonnes valued at Rs 1,260.52 crore as against 1,23,425 tonnes valued at Rs 981.67 crore in the same period last fiscal.

He said spice oils and oleoresins had shown an increase of Rs 71 crore during this period in value and 850 tonnes in volume. Similarly, curry powder/paste and condiments had also gone up by 500 tonnes and Rs 5 crore. In the case of spices oils and oleoresins and mint products, there had been an increase in unit value.

Meanwhile, exports of chilli, coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek and fennel have gone up sharply. Chilli has surpassed the target by 8,500 tonnes to 83,500 tonnes, while coriander by 8,650 tonnes to 26,650 tonnes. Cumin has already achieved the target of 10,000 tonnes, while fennel and fenugreek are just 500 tonne short of the target. Other seeds such as mustard, aniseed, bishops weed (Ajwain seed), dill seed and poppy seed also went up to 9,000 tonnes from 4,950 tonnes.

However, pepper, which used to contribute mainly to exports in the past, has continued its downward trend. Exports dropped from 10,300 tonnes in April-October 2003 to 7,800 tonnes in the corresponding period this fiscal.

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Spices exports up by Rs 278 cr in April-Oct