KOCHI: The Spices Board, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has launched a comprehensive scheme aimed at enhancing the export of spices and value-added spice products as well as improving the productivity of cardamom.
The scheme aims to upgrade the post-harvest quality of spices across India for export, the Spices Board said on Thursday.
The board has rolled out various programmes under the scheme ‘Sustainability in Spice Sector through Progressive, Innovative and Collaborative Interventions for Export Development’ (SPICED).
It said the scheme will be implemented during the remaining period of the 15th Finance Commission cycle, till FY 2025-26, with a total approved outlay of Rs 422.30 crore.
"The SPICED scheme is expected to facilitate value addition and to drive innovation and sustainability in the spice sector by introducing new sub-components/programmes like Mission Value Addition, Mission Clean and Safe Spices, promotion of GI spices, support for entrepreneurship through spice incubation centres, etc," a release issued by the board said.
The scheme puts a thrust on farmers groups/FPOs/farmers clusters identified under ODOP DEH (One District One Product - Districts as Export Hubs Initiative), SC/ST community, exporters from NE region, and small and medium enterprises, it said.
The programmes under components such as Improving the productivity of cardamom and Post-harvest quality upgradation of spices are specifically designed to empower farmer groups, including Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in key spice-growing regions, it added.
The programmes for cardamom focus on increasing the productivity of both small and large cardamom through replanting efforts, production of quality planting material, developing water sources, adopting micro-irrigation systems, etc, the board said.
Additionally, there are programmes to promote weather-based insurance to protect farmers' interests, it added.
Receipt and processing of applications under the scheme SPICED are online.
The Spices Board’s officials shall support the growers in submitting the application through the online portal, if required, the release said.
The online submission of application for availing assistance under various programmes of the SPICED scheme will commence from September 20, 2024.