Trust, traceability key to country's spice trade future: Spices Board India Secretary

India's competitiveness in the evolving global spice trade will increasingly depend on trust, transparency, sustainability and superior quality, P Hemalatha, Secretary, Spices Board India, said here on Monday. Addressing the inaugural session of the International Spice Conference (ISC 2026) in Kochi, she stressed that traceability and food-safety assurance are becoming central to market access as importing countries tighten regulations. Pointing to rising scrutiny over pesticide residues, contaminants and documentation standards, Hemalatha underlined the need for harmonisation of Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) and testing protocols across countries to reduce trade disruptions and provide predictability for farmers and exporters. ''Farmers must remain central to this transformation,'' she said, calling for stronger capacity-building in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), responsible pesticide usage and robust traceability systems to ensure quality consistency at the source. Earlier, inaugurating the conference, Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, urged the industry to move decisively from bulk exports to high-value, branded and technology-driven products. He said the sector stands at a critical juncture as global value chains face disruption, regulations tighten and climate risks intensify. Recalling Kerala's two-millennia-old spice trade - from Roman ships sailing to Muziris for ''black gold'' to today's blockchain-enabled traceability - Kant noted that India remains the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices, with exports crossing 1.8 million tonne valued at over USD 4 billion last year. ''Our history is a reminder of our potential. The next chapter of the global spice story must again be written from India,'' he said. The four-day conference, organised by the All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF), is being attended by over 1,000 delegates from 30 countries under the theme ''Spice 360 – Getting Future Ready.''