Spices is one of the main horticulture crop, which is used for flavouring and seasoning the food substances. It is basically defined as vegetable products or mixtures thereof, free from extraneous matter, used for imparting aroma in foods. Due to liberalization of Indian economy, the spices industry of India has grown very rapidly. It is a source of livelihood and employment for large number of people in the country, especially for rural population.
India is known as the home of spices and produces a wide variety of spices like black pepper, cardamom (small and large), ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli, etc. It is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices and spice products. Out of the 109 spices listed by the ISO, India produces as many as 75 owing to its varied agro climatic regions. Almost all the States and Union Territories (UTs) of the country grow one or the other spices. In the World Spice Trade, India acquires 48% of the global export volume and 44% of the export value. It exports more than 0.40 million tons of spices annually. Over the years, imports of spices are steadily growing.
All this shows that spice production in India holds a prominent position in the world spice production. Entrepreneurs from all over the world are exploring the opportunities in this area. The Government, both at the Centre and the State level, has undertaken several measures and initiatives for the sound development of the spices industry. The 'Department of Agriculture and Cooperation' and 'Spices Board of India' are the main organisations for promoting research in the sector and scale up activities of exports.
Once in every 2 or 3 years, the 'World Spice Congress' is being jointly organized by the All India Spices Exporters Forum and Spices Board. It is a periodic congregation of spices exporters and importers from various countries. It is a venue to discuss various aspects, understand each other's requirements/capabilities and has proved to be an important International event in the Spice Trade. Recently being, the 9th World Spice Congress which was held in January 2008 at Goa.
