National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Brainstorming Session
on
Strategies and policy design for enhancing the global footprint of Indian spices

The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) organized a brainstorming session titled "Strategies and Policy Design for Enhancing the Global Footprint of Indian Spices" on November 04, 2024, in hybrid mode under the Chairmanship of Dr. Himanshu Pathak (President, NAAS). The Convener of the session, Dr. D. Prasath (Project Coordinator, AICRP Spices), presented a primer outlining the background and India’s position in the spices trade.The event brought together 70 eminent scholars, Policymakers, Industry representatives, and developmentalagencies in the Indian spices sector to develop a comprehensive Policy aimed at enhancing the global presence of Indian spices. A number of insightful presentations were delivered by Mr. Ramkumar Menon (World Spice Organisation); Dr. Baby KC (Synthite Industries); Dr. K. Nirmal Babu (Former Director, ICAR-IISR); Mr. Deepak Pareek (Founder, HnyB Tech-Incubations Pvt. Ltd.); Ms. Madhuri Nanda (Rainforest Alliance); Mr. Jijo Joseph (Kancor Mane); and Dr. Venugopal K.J. (Food Safety & Quality Solutions Inc.). These presentations addressed a wide range of issues, including global trends and consumer shifts in spices, next-gen spices, a roadmap for research, the digital revolution in spices, sustainable spice production, and global regulatory challenges.This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Sudhakar Pandey (ADG, Horticulture) Co-convener of the BSS. The panelists included Mr. Nitin Joe (The Spices Board); Dr. R. Dinesh (ICAR-IISR); Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj (ICAR-NRCSS); Dr. J. Thomas (PDS Organic Spices); Dr. S.V. Shukla (Director, FFDC); Shri Jaideep Gandhi (The Fragrance & Flavour Association of India); and Dr. Rohit Seth (President, Sugandha Vyapar Sangh).In his concluding remarks, Dr. Ashok K. Singh (Secretary, NAAS) reiterated the importance of addressing sustainability concerns in spice exports and encouraged stronger collaboration between research institutions, policymakers, and the private sector. Dr. Lijo Thomas, Co-convener, expressed gratitude to the participants, speakers, and panellists for their valuable contributions.