Which spices are grown the most in India?
The most grown and sold spices include black pepper, cardamom, chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, celery, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, nutmeg, mace, curry powder, spice oil. Of these, chilli, cumin, turmeric, ginger and coriander have the highest production of about 76%. These spices are grown the most in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, tamil Nadu and Kerala.
How much does india export?
According to the IBEF report, in 2023-24, india sold spices worth $ 4.46 billion (about Rs 37 thousand crores) to other countries. In 2024-25 (till june 2024), spices worth $ 1.09 billion (about Rs 9 thousand crores) have been exported. From 2016-17 to 2022-23, the export of spices from india has increased at the rate of 5.85%. In July 2023, spice exports increased to $298.7 million as compared to june 2023. In 2022-23, the export of chilli, cumin, turmeric and ginger was the highest. Exports of spices like turmeric, coriander, garlic, curry powder, asafoetida, tamarind have also increased.
Then what is the problem?
India mostly exports raw spices, due to which we get less profit. Our share in the world spice market is only 0.7%, only 48% of the spices are sold after processing. The remaining 52% are sold raw, due to which they get less price.
Many times our spices are rejected due to adulteration and excess pesticides, this tarnishes the image of India. Countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, China, Thailand, sri lanka and madagascar are also now coming forward in spice production. We still grow old varieties of spices and use less new technology in processing. This reduces the quality and shelf life of spices. Due to less use of machines in farming, production becomes expensive and work is also done slowly.
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