Sector leaders warn that global scrutiny, weak traceability and slow farm-level innovation could erode India’s export edge as the National Spice Conference opens
India’s leading spice-sector voices on Saturday called for stricter food-safety systems, stronger traceability and rapid scaling of farm-level innovation to keep pace with rising global scrutiny and demand during the National Spice Conference 2025.
Ramkumar Menon, Chairman, World Spice Organisation (WSO) said the industry had reached an inflexion point where its future leadership would depend on how responsibly and efficiently it grows. “The spice industry stands at a pivotal moment where global demand is rising, sustainability is no longer optional, and scalability will determine who leads tomorrow,” he told delegates.
Food-safety regulators flagged widening gaps in traceability that threaten export competitiveness. Dr Paresh Shah, Chairman, FSSAI Scientific Panel on Pesticide Residues, said the integrity of the supply chain must become non-negotiable. “From farm to fork, food safety must be our guiding principle and our strategies must leave no gap in trust or traceability,” he said.
The need to bring technology deeper into India’s fragmented farming base dominated several sessions. Dr AB Remashree, Director, Spices Board, said digital tools, scientific farm practices and scale-driven models were essential to improving farmer incomes. “Technology is the lever; our challenge is to bring it into the fields, scale it across geographies, and ensure farmers share in the value created,” he said.
The quality concerns came to the forefront in April 2024 when Hong Kong and Singapore suspended sales of several spice products from leading Indian brands MDH and Everest after detecting ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic pesticide, at levels exceeding permissible limits. The controversy prompted Hong Kong to ban three MDH spice blends and one Everest fish curry masala, while Singapore ordered a recall of Everest products.
