Govt plans spices parks to lift exports

KOCHI: To achieve spices export worth $10 billion by 2017, Spices Board has chalked out plans to set up a string of spices parks in the country.

Apart from cardamom and pepper parks in Kerala, the board will set up chilli park in Andhra Pradesh, mint park in Uttar Pradesh, sweet spices park in Rajasthan, garlic and coriander leaf park in Madhya Pradesh, organic spices parks in Meghalaya and Assam and turmeric park in Tamil Nadu, according to Union minister of state for commerce Jayaram Ramesh.

He was speaking to reporters here after the inauguration of the first e-auction centre in Kerala at Vandanmettu in Idukki district. The first cardamom e-auction centre at Bodinaikanur in Tamil Nadu kicked-off in August increased transparency in auctions, reduced volatility and contributed to rise in prices of the commodity, he said.

The Kerala government is yet to complete the land acquisition procedures for the parks for which MoU was signed between Spices Board and Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation on February 13, 2007. The minister said that if the government did not acquire land in one year, then the Centre would be forced to set up the park in other state.

The progress in other spices parks is good. The chilli park is coming up in 122 acres and is expected to be launched on January 21. The opening of the spices park in Madhya Pradesh is slated for April 21, he said.

Besides helping in value addition for exports, these parks will serve to eliminate middlemen and ensure more earnings for growers Mr Ramesh said. “The idea is to make India the only international hub for spice processing in 10 years’ time. The country grows 53 of the 75 known spices in the world. I want big timers like McCormick to make these parks their outsourcing centres,” he said.

Spices Board will invest a minimum of Rs 10 crore in these parks mainly to set up infrastructure facilities, the board chairman VJ Kurian said. The private players are expected to bring in sizeable investment. AVT, Eastern and Synthite have evinced interest in Kerala spices parks. In the current year the board has targeted $1 billion worth exports.