Pepper News

As invited by All India Spice and Exporters Forum (AISEF), the Executive Director of the IPC, Mrs. Hoang Thi Lien has attended the 3rd edition of International Spice Conference from 4th to 7th February 2018 in Jaipur, India.

The conference was being hosted by the AISEF which represents about to 80% of spices exports from India in association with Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The four-day conference themed "Managing Disruptions through Transformation and Collaboration" has attracted around seven hundred and fifty delegates representing various states, industry leaders from fifty countries, International Spice Associations representatives, policy makers, farmers and end-users. The conference deliberated on effective strategies and innovative technologies that foster sustainable farming, improve livelihood of spice farmers, address spice industry challenges, food safety concerns and demand supply disparity.

The conference was inaugurated by Ms. Arancha Gonzalvez, the Executive Director, International Trade Centre, Geneva. In her opening remark, Ms. Arancha Gonzalez, the Chief Guest, emphasized that trade-based growth is being challenged in today\'s world. In the changing world, we need more targeted efforts focused on value addition and employment generation. Value addition is central to rural livelihood. Special efforts are required to make farming more "cool" to the younger generation stay in agriculture.

While delivering the welcome remark, Mr. Namboodiri, the Chairman of AISEF said "When food safety standards are constantly changing and the industrial environment is constantly evolving, addressing the concerns and imbalances of the industry by the stakeholders is not a choice, but a necessity. This apart, ensuring the sustainability of the crops and improving the livelihood of the farmers also becomes a collective responsibility. It is in this context we are confident that the outcome of this third Edition of International Spice Conference will serve the purpose".

The professionals from the food industry, spices and herbs industry, ingredients manufacturing and fragrances and flavours industry, farmers, processors, traders, testing and regulatory bodies, representatives of associations of food and allied services, hospitality industry and relevant government functionaries were actively engaged in the event. It was pointed out that spices industry has the highest price volatility compared to other crops. This is due to climate change and cultivation in limited geographical areas. It was suggested that climate resilient seeding materials, more collaboration with the farmers as a partner in the spice supply chain, linking end to end with farmers on one side and consumers on the other with focus on sustainability, food safety and traceability are available for further collaboration.

In the format of multi-track sessions and panel discussions current issues and topics touching spices sector were covered intensively. These include among others, customer-oriented farming, changing market landscape, meeting goals of global spice industry, organic spices, sustainable spice initiative, collaboration among strategic stakeholders, operational stakeholders, crops and markets and open house discussions on different spices.

The 3rd ISC was concluded on 7th February has also brought relevant information from the market in the form of Direct Farm Reports, Audio Visual presentations and Real Time Studies through direct visits to farm.