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Spices Board of India set for Gulfood 2014

The value-added products newly developed by the Spices Board of India will be showcased outside India for the fist time at the Gulfood Expo, to be held from February 23 to 27 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The star attraction at the expo will be spices-dyed clothes that have aroused interest among health circles because of its healing properties. Other products include spice candles, chocolates, soaps, shower gels and fairness oils.

The products that are yet to hit the market are now displayed in the board’s stall at the Lulu shopping mall at Cochin. Spices Board chairman Dr Jayathilak said the stall has been attracting a large number of people. The board will also be scouting for investors to set up units for the commercial production of the new products at the Gulfood Expo. The production now being done by cottage units and NGOs is not sufficient to meet the growing demand.

Dr Jayathilak told Khaleej Times that the board was looking for investors with mass production capability. The board will transfer the technology to these investors. A high-level delegation comprising senior officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will be attending the expo.

The value-added products have been developed by the Spices Board in a bid to achieve its export target of $3 billion by 2017. The board is also planning to promote exports to the Gulf region in a big way in view of the large Indian population there.

Spice exports from the country grew by 28 per cent in volume and 46 per cent in value terms during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. The value estimated for the fiscal is between $2 billion and $2.5 billion.

The Spices Board is also trying to evolve a uniform export quality standard across the globe as sustainability and food safety are the buzzwords in the global food industry, said Dr Jayathilak.

He said the board’s proposal to constitute an exclusive committee for spices, aromatic herbs and their formulations to bring about harmony and transparency in fixing global quality standards for spices, herbs and formulations has been accepted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

— business@khaleejtimes.com