SNAPSHOT :
| Major Spices Produced | Small Cardamom, Black Pepper, Ginger, Turmeric, Tamarind, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Garlic |
| Area (ha) & Production (MT) of Spices | 161425 Ha and 162866 MT |
| Major Spice Growing Areas | Idukki, Wayanad, Palakkad, Thrissur and Ernakulam |
| Agri Export Policy (AEP) / One District One Products (ODOP) | AEP - Idukki district for Small Cardamom, - Wayanad district for Black Pepper, -Wayanad and Alleppy districts for Turmeric ODOP -Idukki District for Small Cardamom |
| Major Ports / Export Hubs | Kochi, Vizhinjam (Thiruvananthapuram), Calicut |
| Major Market Centers | Mattanchery (Kochi) and Kumily (Idukki) |
| GI/Commercial spices of the State | Alleppey Green Cardamom (GI), Malabar Pepper (GI) and Edayur Chilli (GI) |
| No. of Registered Exporters | 755 |
| Quality Evaluation Laboratory | At Kochi |
| Spices Park | At Puttady (Idukki District) |
| E-Auction Centre | At Puttady (Idukki District) |
| Research Station for Small Cardamom | Myladumpara (Idukki District) |
| Co-ordinating office | Spices Board Head Office, Kochi Suganda Bhavan,N H By Pass Road, P.B.No.27, Palarivattom, Cochin-682025 Ernakulam. Telephone- 0484-2333610 Email- secy.kochi-sb@gov.in -mail.sboard@gov.in |
Kerala renowned as the "Land of Spices" is situated in the Malabar Coast of India and is historically popular for its Spice Trade. The State is blessed with major ports at Cochin and Vizhinjam (Thiruvananthapuram) and spice markets at Mattancherry (Cochin coast) and Kumily (High ranges)
The spices grown in Kerala includes Small Cardamom, Black Pepper, Ginger, Turmeric, Tamarind, Vanilla, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Garlic etc. Kerala produces spice Varieties with high intrinsic qualities such as Allepey green cardamom, Allepey finger turmeric, Cochin ginger, Malabar pepper etc which fetches a premium price in the international markets. The State is also a significant producer of Ginger, Turmeric etc as well .
Kerala is a leading player in India for high end value addition in spices. Many industrial units in the spice sector, which undertake high-end value addition and export of spices from India are located in Kerala. As on May 2023, the State has a spice exporter base of 755 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 2021-22 through the ports in Kerala is around 123513 MT valued at Rs. 3220 crores, thereby contributing to a share of around 8% in quantity and 18% in value of India’s total spice exports. The major spice products exported from the state are Spices Oils and Oleoresin, Black Pepper , Cardamom small, Curry Powder, Turmeric, Ginger, Nutmeg & mace, Cumin,etc.
The details of the area and production of spices in Kerala are given in the table below:
| Sl No | Item | Area in Ha. | Production in MT. | Productivity In MT/Ha. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small cardamom* | 39143 | 20570 | 0.38 |
| 2 | Black Pepper | 83770 | 20000 | 0.23 |
| 3 | Nutmeg | 23329 | 15010 | 0.63 |
| 4 | Ginger | 2819 | 55414 | 19.65 |
| 5 | Turmeric | 2277 | 6653 | 2.92 |
| 6 | Cloves | 854 | 71 | 0.03 |
| 7 | Garlic | 191 | 990 | 5.18 |
| 8 | Tamarind | 9962 | 34406 | 3.40 |
| Total | 161425 | 162866 | ||
Spices Board has its Head Office at Ernakulam along with the Quality Evaluation Laboratory, one Spices Park at Puttady, one e-Auction centre at Puttady and the Indian Cardamom Research Institute at Myladumpara, Idukki District and 13 divisional/field offices. Spices Board had established a spices park in Puttady, Idukki district of Kerala in an area of 12.5 acre, with common infrastructure facilities for processing of Small Cardamom and Black Pepper and warehousing of spices. Kerala's Malabar Black Pepper, Alleppey Greeen Cardamom and Edayur Chilli have received Geographical indication status.
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