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The Government is weighing the option of imposing a minimum import price on cardamom to check import of cheap varieties from countries such as Guatemala, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. This has local growers worried.
This will be in addition to the increased vigilance and crackdown on illegal imports of the spice at various customs stations.
The Commerce Department is looking at various ways to check import of cheap cardamom and barring imports below a minimum price is certainly one of the options, an official in the Commerce and Industry Ministry told Business Line .
“Several industrial groups and politicians, including Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy have raised their voices against cheap import of cardamom in their meetings with Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.
“The Minister has asked his officials to look at all options to check cheap imports, including imposition of a minimum import price,” the official said.
falling prices
Cardamom growers have been complaining about falling prices but the Spices Board, the Government’s body for development and promotion of spices, says that the drop is not significant.
While imports took place in the latter half of 2012 and early 2013, there was no perceptible decline in auction average prices which were ranging between Rs 696 a kg and Rs 787 from June 2012 to January 2013, it said.
Imports of cardamom in the last nine months have also been moderate at about 200 tonnes, the Spice Board said.
Growers allege that a large amount of cardamom is also being illegally imported into the country via Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan that does not get counted in the import figures.
“The Spices Board is already in touch with the Customs commissioners in various ports where there are reports of smuggling happening and action would be taken against the offenders,” the official said.
The Commerce Department is looking at the option of putting in place a minimum import price to minimise the chances of cheap imports coming in from the legal channel, he added.
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