Northeast can emerge as major supplier of organic foods, asserts CM Himanta

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that in the present scenario wherein the entire globe is on the lookout for healthy foods that are at par with the international standards of food safety and quality and free from any chemical residues and other contaminants, Northeastern India can emerge as the major supplier of organic foods to the globe.

He made this observation while speaking at the International Buyer Seller Meet and Spices Conclave organized by the Spices Board of India for the North Eastern Region here, stated an official communiqué.

The conclave was attended by leading foreign buyers, major exporters, farmers, and traders from across the North-East. The event was organized in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote India's rich heritage of traditional spices, herbs and medicinal plants across the globe as well as to facilitate growth and development of spices, condiments and similar products from the Region.

Stating that India has been known globally for its home-grown spices, Sarma said that spices and herbs in the country play roles that go way beyond just cooking, and they are regularly used for their curative and therapeutic properties. He mentioned that India produces about 75 of the 109 varieties of spices listed by the International Organization for Standardization.

The Chief Minister said that Northeastern region has acquired special attention in the global map owing to the quality of spices that are considered organic.

The Chief Minister further informed that Assam produces nearly 3.1 lakh metric tonnes of spices annually. The State holds a major share in the production of spices such as ginger, turmeric, coriander, mustard, chilli, garlic, etc. He also said that being the gateway of the North-East, with better connectivity and fast developing infrastructural facilities, the State has the potential to be a major hub for post-harvest processing and value addition. Spices from the region and can become one of the major exporting hubs, he said.

Moreover, Sarma said that steps have been taken to make best use of Prime Minister's Developmental Initiative for North East (PM-DevINE), One District One Product (ODOP) scheme and to convert the 'by-default organic' tag of the spices produced in the region to 'certified organic' or 'organic by design' to realize maximum potential of spices sector. He informed that under ODOP scheme, several districts in Assam have identified spices as their focus crop, such as turmeric from Bongaigaon; mustard seeds and mustard products from the districts of Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, and Majuli; ginger from the districts of Karbi Anglong, West Karbi-Anglong and Dima Hasao; and chilli from Dhubri and Jorhat.

Lauding the Spices Board for its initiative to start a Quality Evaluation Laboratory for Spices at Guwahati, the Chief Minister said that the laboratory will be of immense help and benefit to the Northeastern region as this will make available state-of-the-art testing facilities for spices that are at par with the international standards, in the region itself.

Saying that due to lack of adequate infrastructure and industry presence for processing and value addition of spices, presently most of the produce goes out in raw or semi-processed stage, resulting in low income to the farmer and producer. Sarma stressed on proper coordination between Spices Board, Farmer Producer Organizations and the Agriculture as well as Industry Departments.

While Secretary of the Spices Board of India D Sathiyan delivered the welcome speech, the event was also addressed by Agriculture Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Tage Taki and Commissioner & Secretary of Agriculture of Assam Government, Om Prakash. The vote of thanks was offered by AB Reema Shree, the Director of Spices Board of India.

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