‘’KERALA, A GLOBAL SPICE PROCESSING HUB’’ – MR. GEEMON KORAH, CHAIRMAN, CII KERALA

The 2 nd Edition of Kerala Spice Conference & Exposition was organized by CII Kerala in partnership with the CII Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE) & Spices Board at Hotel Le Meridien Kochi on the 27 th and 28 th of September 2022. Speaking at the conference, Mr. Geemon Korah, Chairman, CII Kerala State Council and Executive Director & CEO, Mane Kancor Ingredients Pvt. Ltd. stated “India is still the single largest hub for spice processing, and Kerala is its global hub”.

The conference aimed to position Kerala as a spice destination and a safe food destination to extend it to global markets. It brought together the spice and value-added spice Industry in a common forum. Mr. Korah further added that the spice industry has expanded in terms of raw materials in recent years and that is because of the process and adaptive technology that the industry chose to embrace.

The event that was deliberated to promote the state as a spice hub and create global standards and new trends was inaugurated by Mr. P Rajeev, Hon’ble Minister for Industries & Commerce & Plantation Directorate, Government of Kerala. The minister said, “Kerala should be proud to be the global leader in the processing of spices and we should showcase this to the world”. The minister also added that Kerala has now evolved to be a major hub of food processing. The state has been a leader in adopting futuristic technologies and around 50-60 % of oleoresin production happens from the state; while Kochi leads the oleoresin production.

The conference witnessed the participation of more than 340 delegates from different parts of the country. The technical sessions covered topics such as Value Addition in Spices – the way forward with a focus on Cardamom, Pepper, Ginger, Turmeric, etc., Pesticide usage in spices and associated issues.

The second day of the conference covered sessions on ‘Global Marketing- Opportunities and Challenges, ‘Strategies for Biodiversity – Friendly Farming’, ‘Focus for FPOs – Sharing Best Models of GAP and Certifications’, and ‘Govt Initiatives to promote exports. The exposition arranged as part of the conference showcased processing equipment, machinery, packaging, and exporters.