The Hindu Business Line : World Spice Congress to discuss `achievable' quality standards

MOVING towards practical export quality standards and a closer interaction with the intermediate markets for Indian spices are among the objectives of the eighth World Spice Congress that starts here on Friday.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Ms Sushama Srikandath, Vice-Chairperson, All-India Spices Exporters' forum, said the exporters and international buyers would try to move towards practical and "achievable" quality standards.

The aim is to come up with concrete action plans, proactive regulatory systems and quality standards. This would target not just the Indian exports but also the international spice trade, she said.

The other issue is addressing product mobility. Often, the markets that India exports to may not be the consumer market but an intermediate that adds value before exporting to the consumer.

Exporters here could work with the buyers and the farmers to improve acceptance of the Indian products in the developed markets. They might not always be able to access the market directly due to various reasons including cost, she said.

Mr C.J. Jose, Chairman, Spices Board, said as technology improved the sensitivity of analytical equipment increased and drove quality standards which became "an emotive issue and may not have a basis in science". Laboratory equipment manufacturers are setting quality standards.

Standards are being set without reference to the impact on human health. Therefore, more achievable standards are needed.

A bulk of India's exports is in the form of raw material that is used for value-addition and exports by others. The Spices Board is encouraging exporters to move more towards value-addition.

Export figures: In 2004-05, spice export was about 3.35 lakh tonnes valued at Rs 2,100 crore. This year, too, exporters would match the performance, according to Mr Jose.

But they cannot hope to sustain this level as primary product exporters are lower cost exporters. For instance, Vietnam has upstaged India as chilli producer and exporter — it produces chilli entirely for the export market. So it can price its product lower than India, which has a huge domestic market and exports a fraction of its produce, he said.

The theme of the World Spice Congress this year is "Food Safety in Spices: Challenges and Opportunities", he said.

The event held once in two or three years attracts delegates from more than 26 countries. Among the organisations represented here would be the American Spice Trade Association, European Commission, Spices and Allied Products Exporters' Association of Sri Lanka, European Spice Commission, All Nippon Spice Association, Japan and the Food Standards, Australia-New Zealand.