SNAPSHOT :
| Major Spices Produced | Seed Spices viz. Cumin, Fennel, Coriander, Dill, Fenugreek, Ajwain and other spices like Chilly, Garlic, Ginger and Turmeric are the major spices |
| Area (ha) & Production (MT) of Spices | 699060 ha & 1009930MT |
| Major Spice Growing Areas | Surendranagar, Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkatntha, Ahmadabad, Junagadh, Mehsana, Morbi, Kutch, Rajkot, Gir, Somnath and Jamnagar |
| Agri Export Policy (AEP) / One District One Products (ODOP) | AEP- Banaskantha & Mehsana districts for Cumin.
ODOP- Patan & Surendranagar districts for Cumin |
| Major Ports / Export Hubs | Ahmedabad, Hazira, Pipava, Kandla and Mundra |
| Major Market Centers | Rajkot, Jasdan, Unjha |
| No. of Registered Exporters | 704 |
| Regional Office | Unjha & Ahmedabad |
| Quality Evaluation Laboratory | Kandla, Gujarat |
Agriculture continues to be the primary occupation in the state where 2/3rd of population is engaged in agriculture and earn livelihood. Moreover, agriculture provides indirect employment to large sector of the population through agro-based occupations. Out of eight agro-climatic zones of the State, five are arid to semi-arid, while remaining three are dry sub-humid in nature. Majority of farm holdings are marginal with small farmers, owning less than 2 hectares of land. There are nearly 58 lakh cultivators in the state, of which 32% are women. Women also constitute 51.4 per cent of total agricultural laborers.
Gujarat is a major producer of seed spices, which are mostly grown in arid and semi arid zones of the State. Seed spices viz. Cumin, Fennel, Coriander, Dill, Fenugreek, Ajwain and other spices like Chilly, Garlic, Ginger and Turmeric are the major spices grown in Gujarat. The present area under spices is 699060 ha with a production of 1009930MT. The main spice growing districts are Surendranagar, Banaskantha, Patan, Sabarkatntha, Ahmadabad, Junagadh, Mehsana, Morbi, Kutch, Rajkot, Gir, Somnath, Jamnagar, etc.
As of August 2021, the State has a spice exporter base of 706 firms, of which 137 are manufacturer exporters, with own facilities for processing and value addition of spices. The collective annual exports of spices and spice products during the year 2019-20 through the ports in Gujarat is around 286703.23 MT valued at Rs.4243.51 crores, thereby contributing to a share of around 27% in quantity and 21% in value of India's total spice exports. The major spice products exported from the State are Cumin, Mint Oils and Mint products, Fennel, Fenugreek, Coriander, Turmeric, Ginger, Chillies,etc.
The details of the area and production of spices in Gujarat are given in the table below:
| Sl No | Item | Area in Ha. | Production in MT. | Productivity In MT/Ha. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cumin | 494238 | 481556 | 0.97 |
| 2 | Fennel | 52802 | 109027 | 2.06 |
| 3 | Coriander | 86175 | 129150 | 2.44 |
| 4 | Fenugreek | 7326 | 14170 | 3.98 |
| 5 | Ginger | 5038 | 113225 | 22.47 |
| 6 | Turmeric | 4570 | 18182 | 19.89 |
| 7 | Garlic | 12180 | 94555 | 7.76 |
| 8 | Ajwain | 10330 | 10600 | 1.02 |
| 9 | Dill-Seed | 15101 | 20560 | 1.36 |
| 8 | Chilli Dry | 11300 | 18905 | 1.67 |
| Total | 699060 | 1009930 | ||
Spices Board has established offices at Unjha & Ahmedabad and a Quality Evaluation Laboratory at Kandla. The Board in association with Food & Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations and with support from the Standards & Trade Development Facility under the World Trade Organisation is implementing a project titled "Strengthening Spice Value Chain in India and Improving Market Access Through Capacity Building". The project aims at strengthening the adoption of Good Agriculture Practises (GAP) in spices, capacity building and knowledge sharing with a view to reduce the Sanitary & Phyto Sanitary concerns, thereby enhancing market linkage prospects and in the initial phase covers Cumin & Fennel in Mehsana district of Gujarat.
In order to address various issues being faced by the Indian Seed spice industry and to facilitate Indian exporters for sourcing seed spices that meet the quality standards laid by the importing countries and to support farmers for export oriented production of the produce, Spices Board has constituted a Seed Spice Task Force Committee (SSTFC) with participation of stakeholders of seed spice sector, particularly from the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh.
Board is also implementing various Development and Marketing schemes and Research and Laboratory activities, the details of which may please be seen from the Board's website indianspices.com