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Spices Exports
Indian spices have not been banned by countries like Singapore and Hong Kong, the Ministry of Commerce informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Specific batches of a few spice mixtures exported from India were recalled by the food safety authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore due to the presence of ethylene oxide (EtO) above permissible limits, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said in a written reply. As part of its import surveillance, the Singapore Food Agency placed the consignments of spices from the associated brands under Hold-and-Test regime for a period of one month. The Spices Board, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has taken various steps to meet the varying EtO limits of the importing country. They include mandatory pre-shipment testing of spices being exported to these destinations and issuance of comprehensive guidelines to be followed by exporters to prevent possible EtO contamination at all stages such as procurement of raw
Homegrown FMCG firm Dharampal Satyapal Group is planning to spend about Rs 125 crore this fiscal on advertising, marketing, stepping up distribution network in tier II and III cities and in quick commerce for its core brand Catch Spices, which has entered the Rs 1,000 crore club, a top company official said. The group plans to introduce new products such as rasam powder and others to suit tastes in south India under its Catch Spices brand as it seeks to penetrate in the region as part of an overall strategy to grow at a CAGR of 30 per cent in the next five years. "We are on the path of growth. In 2023-24 we crossed Rs 1,000 crore mark in salt and spices (under the Catch Spices brand) and we are optimistic about the category," Dharampal Satyapal (DS) Group Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar told PTI. However, he said it is a very tough category for any new entrant to get into. "We have grown around 22 per cent CAGR over the years. In the last two years we have grown at a CAGR of 24 per cent.
With successfully exporting a trial shipment of fresh bananas to the Netherlands through sea route, India is now aiming to increase exports of this fruit to USD one billion in the next five years, an official said. At present, exports of most of the fruits from India are happening by air route because of lower volumes and different ripening periods. To increase the volumes, India is developing sea protocols for fresh fruits and vegetables like bananas, mangoes, pomegranates and jackfruit to promote their exports through ocean routes. The protocol includes understanding voyage time, scientifically understanding the ripening of these commodities, harvesting at a particular time and training of farmers. These protocols will be different for different fruits and vegetables. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), along with other stakeholders, has developed these protocols for bananas. APEDA is an arm of the commerce ministry. "With the ...