Spices are an integral part of Indian
cuisine and they are a commodity that is exported too. The tropical climate of
India is conducive to producing cardamom, pepper, turmeric, coriander, chilli,
celery, fenugreek, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cumin, tamarind, garlic, fennel and
many other minor spices. Spices are an integral part of the food and wellness
industry. A growing recognition of the curative and restorative powers of
spices like turmeric has taken the world by storm, boosting use and hence the
international demand for spices in general. The highly unorganized market is
estimated to be worth over Rs 40,000 crore annually. The organized players have
a 15% share of the pie.
The branded players in the spice market
The major players in the market are I-FLO
Spices, MDH, Everest, MTR, Catch, J K, Patanjali, Aashirvaad, Tata Sampann,
Sunrise and others. The Indian government has taken cognizance of the
importance of the sector and the meteoritic rise in exports that draws forex.
The export oriented spice parks offer facilities to both exporters and
producers to process the various spices.
The export market is slated to cross USD 18
billion by 2020. The growth story is to be spear headed by the branded spices
and spice mixes. The export mix has a total of 52 spices. The year on year growth
is slated to grow over 20%. The Indian diaspora abroad and the prominence of
global cuisine have led to the adaptation of blended spices. The major markets
for Indian spices are USA, Vietnam, UAE, Iran, UK, Thailand, Malaysia, China,
Saudi Arabia and Germany.
Why
the need to organize the spice market?
There has been an exponential growth in the
number of working women in India. The penetration of television and social
media has led to an explosion of information in even rural households. The
modern woman is most likely aware of the adulteration rampant in the spice
market and the demand for branded and blended spices has grown manifold. There
is a definite shift from local and loose packaged spices to national brand
spices.
Seed
spices have also become a major point of interest.
Regular vegetables and crops can be planted along with seed spices. The
European and American population have a growing interest in seed spices grown
naturally. India is the biggest producer of seed spices in the world. There are
many efforts from both the government and private players to maximize yield in
this sector.
The problem in the spice sector is lack of
cohesion, effective market places and adequate storage infrastructure. As the
market processes are fractured, the need of the hour is to build back links and
collaborators who will process the spice market’s needs from farm to market.
There are many agro tech start-ups who are
working with cutting edge technology to provide an end to end solution to this
problem. The government has set up incubation units and departments that aid
these start-ups to engage Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to
improve market linkages and logistics.
New techniques of storing seeds and
cultivation are also coming into use. The spice industry has seen a giant leap
in the export and domestic market and is expected to retain and improve the
market reach over the next couple of years.
About the Author
Sonia Kakkar is a freelance
writer and a blogger who associates with brands and help them in their online
brand promotions. Currently she is an associate at GHCL
Limited – a
well-diversified group that has ascertained its footprints in Chemicals,
Textiles and Consumer Product Segments. In her free time, Sonia loves to watch
movies, hangout with friends and read novels. 
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