IISR Foundation Day

Recently, The Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) celebrated its Foundation Day in Delhi.

Highlights of the event

• The Foundation Day lecture was conducted on ‘Water: quantity and quality management strategies in view of changing climate scenario’.
• A traditional recipe product, Mallikappi, a brew of coriander and spices has also launched by the IISR.
• The recipe was originated in Kerala by women entrepreneurs.
• The institute has also offered Spice research awards. The awardees were;
• Jomy Mathew from Karnataka,
• Colonel Prakash Chand Rana from Himachal Pradesh,
• M. Joseph from Kozhikode.
• M/s Attappady Cooperative Farming Society won the spice Awards in the institutional category for their exemplary interventions in the spices sector.

Spices production in India

• India is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices.
• Due to the varying climates -from tropical to subtropical to temperate-almost all spices grow splendidly in India.
• In reality almost all the states and union territories of Indiagrow one or the other spices.
• Under the act of Parliament, a total of 52 spices are brought under the purview of the Spices Board.
• Spices Board(Ministry of Commerce and Industry) is the flagship organization for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices.
• It was established by the Spices Board Act, 1986.

Government Initiatives:

• Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) inaugurated the fifth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) established under Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).

Some GI tags for Spices in India

At present, 13 spices cultivated in India have the GI tag. The Board is currently in talks with various states to get GI tags for; 

• Alleppey Finger Turmeric,
• Cochin Ginger,
• Erode Turmeric,
• Lakadong Turmeric,
• Rajapuri Turmeric,
• Kumbharaj Coriander,
• Jamnagar Garlic, and
• Nizamabad Turmeric