It is to get the GI tag soon, says Spices Board
Appangala (Kodagu Dt.) :
Coorg green cardamom is expected to secure the geographical area indicator (GI) tag very soon as all formalities have been completed, according to Joint Director (Development), Spices Board, Sakleshpur, H.S. Srinivas, here on Monday.
He was speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of a regional seminar held at the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) here, on pepper and cardamom. It was organised by the IISR and the Spices Board. Coorg green cardamom is to join the select group of 34 crops in the State for which GI tag applications have been registered, Mr. Srinivas said. The process would be complete once the gazette notification is made soon. The tag would help the product carve out a niche for itself in the market, besides getting all priorities for its production.
He said that Indian spices export had reached an all-time high during the period April 2008 to January 2009, touching a whopping Rs. 4,500 crore. However, the contribution of pepper was slightly down, Mr. Srinivas said. As much as 475 MT of cardamom was exported, which was up by 75 MT compared to the previous year.
Increase in production
In three year’s time, cardamom production would be raised to around 15,000 hectares in Kodagu district, he said. Diseases such as ‘Katte’ and others had accounted for the destruction of cardamom crops in the district in the past. Mr. Srinivas said crop insurance too would be introduced for the commodity in the district soon.
The Spices Board was providing subsidies for cardamom re-plantation, construction of drying yards, and for digging wells and tanks, Mr. Srinivas added. The board had also opened new offices at Bhagamandala in Kodagu and Vanajoor in Hassan.
Earlier, the president of the Karnataka Planters’ Association, K.M. Nanaiah, inaugurated the regional seminar on pepper and cardamom at the IISR premises. The president of the Codagu Planters’ Association, B. Duleep Nanjappa, who was a guest, called upon the farmers who had come in good numbers to ‘help themselves’ in saving the pepper vines from disease by proper management system.
He told the farmers to follow the advise of the scientists of the IISR and the Spices Board not only for saving the plants but also to obtain higher productivity.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Karnataka / by Staff Correspondent / March 26th, 2009
