by Suman Gupta
Key players from the Spice Industry across the world to participate in three day event from 15th to 17th September
The mega spice event, that is the 14th World Spice Congress commenced in Navi Mumbai today. Additional Secretary, Dept. of Commerce, Government of India, Shri. Amardeep Singh Bhatia, during his inaugural address for the 14th edition of the World Spice Congress stated that India’s spice export which is $4 billion at present is expected to reach $10 billion by 2030.
“India is a leading player in the global spice industry. Traditionally India has been the spices centre of the world. In order to ensure that India continues to maintain its traditional strength there are several things to work on in the entire chain of production from growers to marketers,” he added. “It is a shared responsibility of the Government and the Spices Board to come up with schemes and programmes to facilitate testing labs, assessment quality standards, etc. This three-day event will give lots of business opportunities to all the stakeholders, delegates, exhibitors and producers,” he said.
Highlighting the potentials of the Indian spices industry, D Sathiyan, Secretary, Spices Board, said, “The spices legacy is part of human culture. India is the spice bowl of the world. There is tremendous potential to explore product development, biotech, etc. in India. More than 75 spices are grown in India and each state has spices to offer. The future of the world spice industry will be discussed at the three-day World Spice Congress.”
The first day of the event commenced with the inauguration of the exhibition highlighting the variety of spices and value-added spice products as well as innovative technologies and solutions in the spices industry and a visual presentation on Indian Spice Sector by Mr. D Sathiyan, Secretary, Spices Board.
The event was followed by the technical session on Country perspective of the Spice Industry and Global opportunities. The second session on Evolving market requirements for spices trade was focused on the adaptation to global supply chain resilience, market research, and importance of consumer insights, agility and responsiveness for success in the evolving spice market.
The theme for WSC 2023 is “VISION 2030: Sustainability, Productivity, Innovation, Collaboration, Excellence, and Safety” (S.P.I.C.E.S). The sessions will address crops and market forecasts and trends; food safety and quality standards and certifications; trends and opportunities for spices in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, innovative and preventive health care products; spice-based seasonings and functional food products; ready-to-use/cook/ drink products; trends and opportunities for spice oils and oleoresins, consumer preferences and emerging trends; reliability and integrity in supply chain management, international requirements on packaging, trends and opportunities in global spice markets, etc.
About WSC:World Spice Congress (WSC), the conglomeration of the global spice industry, has become the most apt platform to deliberate the concerns and considerations of the sector over its three decades long presence. Organized under the leadership of Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India with support from various trade and export forums, the World Spice Congress provides opportunity to get to know the sector in a better way. Trade, sustainability, quality and food safety initiatives, recent developments, concerns and future prospects are discussed and deliberated in detail by the key players of the industry- the producers, traders, processors, exporters and regulators from across the world.
About Spice Board India:Spices Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices. The Board is a link between the Indian exporters and the importers abroad. The Board has been spearheading activities for excellence of Indian spices, involving every segment of the industry. The Board has made quality and hygiene the corner stones for its development and promotional strategies
