INDIA - Spice industry faces huge crisis after suspension of exports in wake of COVID-19

While Gulf countries had already suspended cardamom import, the export of cardamom, pepper and other spices has now been temporarily suspended due to coronavirus fears.

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe and India has announced a nation-wide lockdown, the spice industry is facing a huge setback. Farmers and traders are facing an enormous crisis after the export of cardamom, pepper and other spices was temporarily suspended due to coronavirus fears.

Last week the Spices Board suspended the cardamom e-auctions scheduled at e-auction centres at Bodinayakanur in Tamil Nadu and Puttady in Kerala with immediate effect until March 31. This has only added to the farmers’ woes. Within a week, the price of cardamom dropped by more than Rs 1,000 per kg. Till the last week of January, the price of cardamom was nearly Rs 4,000 to 4,500 per kg in the retail market. But now it fallen to Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,300. Pepper prices also fell to Rs 290 from Rs 330 per kg. Vendors are also not willing to buy spices such as cardamom, pepper and coffee from farmers.

Johny Joseph Vattathara, who runs Spice More Trading Company in Kumily in Kerala’s Idukki which trades in black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and coffee, said that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the spices trading and market. “Cardamom is mainly exported to Gulf countries. When COVID-19 started spreading across the world, the Gulf countries temporarily suspended cardamom import from other countries. We lost many export orders from the Gulf, presently we have no idea when the issue will be resolved,” he said.

Cardamom is firstly bought by vendors from Tamil Nadu and they export the product to other countries including the Gulf. But after the coronavirus scare, foreign countries stopped buying cardamom and the price continues to dip,” Johny added.

“Now the auctions have been suspended in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, so the movement of spices from Idukki district has stopped entirely. In the last cardamom auction, the average price quoted was only Rs 2,336 per kg,” Johny said.

Idukki district in Kerala is India’s largest producer of cardamom. Most of the natives in Idukki are farmers and live solely on income from agricultural produce. So when the traders stopped purchasing spices from them, the farmers are now in dire straits.

Small-scale traders are also upset over the present situation in the spices industry. “We vendors normally purchase spices from the farmers. But now we don’t know how to sell the products purchased through auction. With the lockdown in place, the market will also be suspended till April 14. We have already purchased and stored huge amounts of cardamom and pepper from the farmers. Now we don’t know when we’ll be able to sell it to wholesalers,” said MJ Joseph Mattapparampil, a spices vendor in Idukki.

AA George, a cardamom vendor, said, “In the present situation we can’t buy cardamom or other spices from the farmers. We don’t know when we can sell to wholesale vendors or through auction. The vendors have also stocked large quantities of cardamom and they are facing a big problem in selling their product.”

“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is trade uncertainty in all countries and this will affect the import of cardamom and other spices. In the present situation, the vendors are not willing to purchase,” George added.

PM Thomas, a farmer, said, “Agriculture is my only source of income. But three days ago I tried to sell 10 kg of pepper but no vendor was ready to buy the product. I don’t know how to manage the situation.”

This report by
https://www.thenewsminute.com

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Spice purveyor Schiff acquires Golombeck in expansion move

By Emily Bader
Totowa | Sep 5, 2019 at 5:00 am


Schiff Foods, a Totowa-based purveyor of whole spices, ground spices and seasonings, announced Wednesday it has acquired Morris J. Golombeck, a Brooklyn-based importer and exporter of high-quality spices and herbs.

Schiff, which was founded in 1949 selling food condiments in Brooklyn, moved to Totowa in 1998 to expand its business to include seeds, herbs, dehydrated vegetables, onion and garlic, seasoning blends, and more. It currently has a 300,000-square-foot warehouse with 30,000 square feet of cold storage dedicated to delicate spices and 15,000 square feet for production.

The combined companies will increase Schiff’s capacity, flexibility and technology, it said.

“The shared values and common goals of Schiff and Golombeck makes this alliance a formidable entity that will anchor our position as a major source for quality spices,” a spokesperson for Schiff Foods said. “The Golombeck team will continue to be an integral part of the Schiff management team, assuring customers that they will continue to enjoy the same personal relationships they have come to expect from an industry leader.”

The main warehouse in Totowa will be expanded and upgraded further to streamline production and distribution, the spokesperson said.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

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SRI LANKA - Spices industry affected by falling prices

 The biggest problem faced by the spices industry is the present declining prices, lamented Rumesh Jayasuriya, Chairman, Spices and Allied Products Producers and Traders Association (SPPTA), speaking at the 35th AGM of the SPPTA held at Ramada Hotel Colombo, last week.

By Quintus Perera
27 August 2019

The biggest problem faced by the spices industry is the present declining prices, lamented Rumesh Jayasuriya, Chairman, Spices and Allied Products Producers and Traders Association (SPPTA), speaking at the 35th AGM of the SPPTA held at Ramada Hotel Colombo, last week.

He pointed out that the industry has to improve unrestrained innovation and show continuous improvements among growers, plantations, processors, brokers, exporters, etc and noted that the international market has been transformed into a borderless technology-driven market place.

He indicated that the consumers world over are knowledgeable and discerning as they wanted experiences and products that reflect their fast-paced lifestyles and convenience. 

On the sidelines of the event, Mr. Jayasuriya told the Business Times that the decrease in the pepper prices could be identified as the main reason for the downfall of spices prices as the Indian Government has imposed a minimum import price (MIP) for black pepper.  That is Indian Rs. 500 (Rs.1,250) per kg exported to India.

The imposition of this MIP, he said has made it technically difficult now to export black pepper to India and asserted that earlier these exports were not subject to a MIP in India. He said that the industry is rather concerned of this new development and blamed the government for not negotiating with the Indian Government for its removal.

He said that the delay in the certificate by ISFTA (Into-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement) and the SFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement) to certain spices such as nutmeg and pepper is also another constraint.

The high cost of production is also another issue where they find difficulties in competing in the international market, as he said that the cost of production is very low in other exporting countries.

He said that there is another danger emerging – that is the illegal importation of spices as there were several occasions of such imports being detected.  He was worried that there is no proper legal mechanism to stop illegal import of spices and no proper legal action has been taken to punish those wrongdoers. 

More than 70 per cent of spice exports are to Asian and West Asian destinations while the balance goes to Europe and North America, he said.

Dr. A.P. Heenkende, Director General, Department of Export Agriculture, in his keynote address said that despite challenges, spice and allied products is a major contributor in exports.

It was 48,331 metric tonnes (Mt) in 2018 compared to 59,000 Mt in 2017 with the drop attributed to the decline in the export of cloves and Areca nuts. Cinnamon exports grew from around 2016. 

He said that US was the main buyer of Cinnamon leaf and bark oils, Citronella oil, Ginger oil and Lemon grass oil in 2018. France, Canada, India, Spain and Germany were the main buyers of Cardamom oil, Clove oil, Nutmeg oil, Pepper oil and Vanilla oil in 2018.

The average annual farm-gate price of Coffee, Clove, Cinnamon quills, Mace, Cardamom and Betel had increased in 2018 while betel exports registered a high price in 2018, he indicated.

He cautioned that Sri Lanka has to rethink on how to find a long term solution for this major problem in the spice sector and said that the government has taken policy decisions regarding the complete ban on imports of Cinnamon, black pepper, Nutmeg, Turmeric and Areca nut.

Ghulam Chatoor, Founder Chairman, SAPPTA, was the guest of honour at the occasion.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/article/1100123/spices-industry-affected-by-falling-prices




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Chilli industry spices up people's lives in central China

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-08 20:45:43|Editor: mingmei

CHANGSHA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese phrase "chixianghela" depicts a rich lifestyle of eating delicious and spicy food, and that's what Chen Jinxiang's life is all about these days.

Chen used to make ends meet by tending rice paddies deep in the mountains of central China's Hunan Province. But his life took a U-turn after switching to the chilli industry.

"Last year, I grew 0.4 hectares of chilli, and made about 30,000 yuan (4,260 U.S. dollars)," said Chen, a farmer in Xiuling Village of Rucheng County. "This year I have expanded the area to one hectare, and now the chilli is ready for collection."

In the serene village of Xiuling, which means "beautiful mountains" in Chinese, swathes of red chilli and peppers envelop the lush green mountains. The plantation is part of the county government's efforts to help lift locals out of poverty, while creating a "distinctive township based on chilli" in answer to a central government plan.

In 2016, the Chinese government issued a plan to create about 1,000 "distinctive townships" across the country that center on tourism, traditional culture, education, manufacturing and more by 2020.

Over the years, many such townships have mushroomed, including an "acrobatics township," "music township" and "opera township," to name just a few.

So the county of Rucheng, which has a tradition of chilli cultivation and perfect air and soil conditions for growing chilli, decided to turn itself into a special township of chilli.

According to official figures, by the end of 2018, a total of 780 hectares of chilli has been planted in the county. Local officials handed out more than 16 million chilli seedlings, and encouraged 5,461 impoverished families to grow more than 653 hectares of the crops.

To help the growers reap benefits, the local government introduced a major chilli company into the county. The company purchases the chilli from farmers at a bottomline price when the market price is low. Meanwhile, agricultural experts have been designated to help the poor farmers learn the techniques of plantation.

"We also help sell the chilli for the farmers online," a local official said.

China aims to eradicate poverty by 2020, the target year to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

The county made the leap in 2018, thanks to the chilli industry.

Last month, Quanshui Township, which administers Xiuling Village, was named one of the "Top Ten Special Agricultural Townships" in Hunan Province.

The chilli has been transformed into different products, including pickled chilli, chopped chilli and chilli sauce, and has been included in local spicy specialties.

In the exhibition hall of Fanhua Food Co., Ltd. in Rucheng, a variety of chilli products are on display.

"We came to invest in the industry in 2018, and our products have taken up almost a half of the chilli market in the county," said Zhu Shuqing, with the company. "We see rosy prospects."

Zhu said that the county is close to coastal provinces like Guangdong, where there is a robust market for chilli, particularly chilli from Hunan Province, which is known in China as a hotbed for chilli production and consumption.

"More people in China are beginning to fall for spicy food, and the chilli industry has huge potential," Zhu said. "The industry truly spiced up people's lives here."

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