Spices board today launched its second e-auction centre at Bodinayakanur, known as Cardamom town, in neighbouring Tamil Nadu to ensure remunerative prices to cardamom farmers.
The new auction centre, constructed on a two-acre site at the the Board's premises in Bodinayakanur in Theni District, is equipped with all modern facilities to assist the cardamom trade, according to a Spices Board release here.
"Spices Board has revolutionised the auction system for small cardamom by introducing electronic auction, which has started benefiting cardamom growers.
The first e-auction centre of the Board was set up at Puttady Spice Park, Kerala in 2011," Spices Board Chairman Jayathilak said after inaugurating the event today.
He said the e-auction had replaced the traditional 'outcry' system of auction of small cardamom and also provided increased transparency in trade.
The small cardamom production in the country touched a record 22,000 tonnes during 2015-16 and 5,500 tonnes valued at Rs 450 crore were exported, registering the highest export performance for the spice in the history of cardamom trade in the country, he noted.
"Development and marketing interventions of Spices Board has led to the quantum increase in production and export of small cardamom," the board chairman pointed out.
Jayathilak further hoped that recent initiatives like the new e-auction centre, implementation of GAP (Good Agricultural Practices), judicious use of pesticides, application of bio-inputs and better grading would go a long way in assisting the cardamom industry and promoting consumption of the spice.
