GI status for spices

The Spices Board, under the ministry of commerce, has registered pepper, cardamom, chilli, ginger and turmeric as products that have unique flavour and attributes because they are grown in a specific geographical region of India. This geographical indication (GI) status will help branding these spices as premium products that cannot be matched by similar crops grown in other parts of the world. The board has obtained GI status for Malabar pepper, Alleppey green cardamom, Coorg green cardamom and Byadgi chilli. The applications for Guntur sannam chilli, Cochin ginger and Alleppey finger turmeric are pending. These spices have a specific colour, flavour or other characteristics that distinguish them from other similar spices grown elsewhere. For instance, the Byadgi chilli from Karnataka is known for its colour while the Guntur variety from Andhra Pradesh is popular for its sharp pungency. The Cochin ginger has less fibre and lends itself well for powdering. “The GI mark will help in preserving the uniqueness of the product and prevent other countries from taking advantage of it. Several countries are importing pepper from here and re-exporting it as Malabar pepper,” said Philip Kuruvilla, MD of Indian Products, a leading spices exporting firm. The practice is not limited to pepper. Alleppey green cardamom and Cochin ginger are the two varieties which the competing countries Guatemala and Nigeria are trying to cash in on. “The spices grown in a particular region will have special qualities, which can be exploited for increasing the exports. This is why we have prepared a list of spices for GI registration. We have got the approval for some and for the others the process is on,” said Spices Board chairman VJ Kurien. Often the name refers to the trademark and may not always indicate the exact place of origin. This is the case with Alleppey finger turmeric, Alleppey green cardamom and Cochin ginger. These types of turmeric and ginger are grown in the Idukki district but the name Alleppey has stuck on because the latter used to be the main port for shipments till the emergence of the Kochi port. In the case of Cochin ginger, the cultivation is happening more in the suburbs now. Growers are also enthusiastic about the prospects of GI status for spices. Two varieties of chilli have been considered for GI status because chilli has become an important constituent of the spice export basket accounting for 25% of the total spice export.