The Spices Board has found adulteration in cumin seed consignment by a Gujarat-based exporting unit following which the State Food and Drugs Control Administrationseized the 12.5-tonne cargo.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Spices Board said, “Quality Evaluation Laboratory of the Board at Kandla (Gujarat) had reported the presence of 23.33 per cent extraneous matter against maximum limit of 3 per cent in the sample taken from the lot, which was a clear indication of adulteration.”

Reacting strongly to the incident, Spices Board Chariman A Jayathilak said, “We are absolutely vigilant about the quality of spices consignments for exports.

India is the major exporter of cumin seeds. During April-December 2017, jeera was the second-highest exported spice with a volume of 104,260 tonnes at ₹1,761.70 crore.

Earlier in 2016, incidents of beetle-infested jeera exports from India were reported. The Board had stepped in and issued a circular requiring exporters to undergo stricter testing and quality check.

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