Spice Board recommends ban on cheap pepper imports as prices fall

From Rs 450 per kg 2 months back, pepper prices dropped to Rs 400 a kg on Wednesday

A few months after cheap pepper imports from Vietnam came under the scanner of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for suspected contamination, the Spice Board has recommended a ban on the imports over quality concerns. The development comes at a time when cheap imports have brought down the pepper price to Rs 400 a kg, from Rs 650 a kg about a year ago. 

A B Rema Shree, director (research and development), Spice Board, said the board had recommended a ban on pepper imported from Vietnam as its quality had been a major concern. “It’s a