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Informist, Friday, Apr. 17, 2026

 

By Afra Abubacker

 

NEW DELHI – India risks ceding market share in the global spices trade to competitors such as Vietnam and China, as they are rapidly scaling up production, U. Karthik, co-chairman, Federation of Indian Spices Stakeholders, said. Unless India improves farm productivity, quality standards, and export competitiveness, retaining its top position will be challenging, he said. 

 

China used to import around 60,000-70,000 tonnes of jeera or cumin annually until about four years ago. However, with rapid domestic production in recent years, they have emerged as a net exporter. "They were relying on imports from India four years ago. Now, they are exporting jeera to Bangladesh," Karthik told Informist on the sidelines of the Bharat Spices Conclave, organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

 

India's jeera exports fell 15% on year to 166,878 tonnes in Apr-Jan, according to Spices Board of India data. Jeera exports to China fell to 38,000 tonnes in FY25 from 100,000 tonnes in FY21. 

 

The average jeera yield in India is around 450-500 kilograms per hectare, while the yield is estimated to be more than 1.5 times higher in China, Karthik said. "With just a few years, they rapidly increased production using better cultivation strategies and modern techniques," he said. 

 

Despite India's legacy in the global pepper trade, Vietnam has emerged as the top exporter of black pepper. "We lost our black pepper market to Vietnam. We can also lose our market share in chilli and turmeric," Karthik said.

 

Apart from competition, Indian spices are also facing stringent pesticide residue norms in the European Union. "Many consignments are getting rejected at ports. Some residue limits are impractically low in the EU. They are acting as non-tariff barriers," Karthik said. 

 

Speaking at the conclave, Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan urged the industry not to compromise on quality and said that rejections at foreign ports hurt India's reputation in global markets. Paswan said that the government is working to boost spices exports through free trade agreements, including with the European Union. 

 

Other panellists said India's spice exports could increase from $4.5 billion to $10 billion by 2030 through the development of high-yielding, climate-resilient seed varieties. India's spices exports declined over 4% to $4.26 billion in FY26, according to the commerce ministry data.  End

 

Edited by Saji George Titus

 

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