Spices Sector in India
Contents: Preface. 1. Origin and growth of spices sector in India. 2. Research studies in spices sector. 3. Performance of spices sector in India. 4. Challenges and opportunities in spices sector in India. 5. Impact of WTO agreements on spices sector in India. 6. Impact of free trade agreements on spices sector in India. 7. Challenges and opportunities in spices sector in India--major findings and suggestions. Annexures. References. Index.
Mother nature has blessed mankind with so many plants, out of which man has exploited some for his benefit to make his life enjoyable. Among them, spices have made our life happier, though required in small quantities, with manifold properties and beneficial uses. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Indians and Chinese all held spices in great esteem not only for flavouring food and making medicine, but even to perfume the air. Food habits all over the world are undergoing a sea change and thereby more spicy food has become the order of the day in most developed and developing countries. Hence the world demand for spices is now on the increase. India is the home to a number of spices. It may be said that there is no Indian cuisine without the addition of one or more spices. In recent years stiff competition has emerged between the spice producing countries. Developed countries have now put strict quality specifications on the import of spices. Though superior in quality, Indian spices are quoted at high prices in international markets because of the high cost of production and low productivity. However trade liberalization has posed unprecedented challenges to Indian spices in terms of price volatility. It is widely reported that after the trade liberalization the domestic prices of major Indian spices have come down drastically. Within India, Kerala is the spice garden. Black pepper popularly called the King of of spices enjoyed a pride of place among all spices produced. Cardamom renowned as the Queen of spices is a tiny spice that attracted the consumers in the orient and the the occident. More than 80 per cent of the production of these two spices in the country is restricted to Kerala. But the spices trade in Kerala is now handicapped by a number of problems. Therefore, it is time for all those concerned with Indian spice industry to make earnest efforts to overcome the problems faced by the spices sector, or else our dominant position in the global spice market may be further relegated to the background.
The present work deals with the origin and growth of spices sector in India, its challenges and opportunities and the impact of WTO and Free Trade Agreements on the spice sector. It also reviews research studies conducted in India in the area of spices sector. (jacket)
Mother nature has blessed mankind with so many plants, out of which man has exploited some for his benefit to make his life enjoyable. Among them, spices have made our life happier, though required in small quantities, with manifold properties and beneficial uses. The ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Indians and Chinese all held spices in great esteem not only for flavouring food and making medicine, but even to perfume the air. Food habits all over the world are undergoing a sea change and thereby more spicy food has become the order of the day in most developed and developing countries. Hence the world demand for spices is now on the increase. India is the home to a number of spices. It may be said that there is no Indian cuisine without the addition of one or more spices. In recent years stiff competition has emerged between the spice producing countries. Developed countries have now put strict quality specifications on the import of spices. Though superior in quality, Indian spices are quoted at high prices in international markets because of the high cost of production and low productivity. However trade liberalization has posed unprecedented challenges to Indian spices in terms of price volatility. It is widely reported that after the trade liberalization the domestic prices of major Indian spices have come down drastically. Within India, Kerala is the spice garden. Black pepper popularly called the King of of spices enjoyed a pride of place among all spices produced. Cardamom renowned as the Queen of spices is a tiny spice that attracted the consumers in the orient and the the occident. More than 80 per cent of the production of these two spices in the country is restricted to Kerala. But the spices trade in Kerala is now handicapped by a number of problems. Therefore, it is time for all those concerned with Indian spice industry to make earnest efforts to overcome the problems faced by the spices sector, or else our dominant position in the global spice market may be further relegated to the background.
The present work deals with the origin and growth of spices sector in India, its challenges and opportunities and the impact of WTO and Free Trade Agreements on the spice sector. It also reviews research studies conducted in India in the area of spices sector. (jacket)
