TWO-DAY NATIONAL CONVENTION OF FEDERATION OF INDIAN
SPICE STAKEHOLDERS (FISS) BEGINS IN JAIPUR
Jaipur, Feb. 23: India is a country most appropriately described as a “Spice Hub”, as it is the largest producer of spices in the world. The Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders (FISS) is organising its two-day annual national convention in Jaipur, beginning today, with the objective of ensuring the access of common people to the quality spices, in addition to the spice industrialists and traders and the farmers. The food processing industry, in which spices are overwhelmingly used, is a fast-developing sector of trade and industry, which has an immense potential for employment. The Jaipur convention is the second organised by the FISS, which is aimed at improving coordination between the spice traders and the government’s mandis. This information was provided by the FISS Chairman, Mr. Ashvin Nayak, in his welcome address at the convention in Hotel Clarks Amer here today.
Mr. Nayak pointed out that the FISS had taken up the responsibility for starting new initiatives in the fields of organic farming and agricultural production. The main emphasis of the convention will be on giving a new direction to the issues and matters dealt with by the spice industrialists and agricultural producers. About 500 delegates from Maharashtra, Kutch, Saurashtra and Unjha (Gujarat), Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Madhya Pradesh are attending the convention.
The Chairman of the Spices Board of India, Dr. A. Jayathilak, said in his inaugural address that the raw spices should be made useful for consumption by their processing through new technology in view of the immense scope for growth in the spice trade. Besides, the possibilities for export of spices should also be explored. Dr. Jayathilak called for paying more attention to the spice crops such as cumin, coriander, fennel and fenugreek, which are grown in huge quantities in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The Chairman of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Unjha, Mr. Gaurang Patel, laid emphasis on conducting research in the fields of export, disease control, supply and production of cumin, coriander, fennel and fenugreek. Two sessions were organised in the convention for agricultural experts and spice producers, during which advanced practices for production of spice crops were discussed. Among others, Vice-Chancellor of Jodhpur Agricultural University, Mr. Balraj Singh, former Director of Agricultural Research Centre, Bikaner, Mr. R. P. Jangid, In-Charge of Spice Project Dr. M. L. Mehria, Mr. Tulsa Ram of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Jodhpur, FISS Secretary Mr. Tejas Bhai, Director Mr. Dinesh Soni, Media In-Charge Mr. Piyush Goenka and Joint Secretary Mr. Dinesh Bhattal attended the convention.
Today in Convention
On the convention’s second day on February 24, 2018, the Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Joint Secretary in the Union Commerce Ministry, Mr. Santosh Sarangi, will address various sessions of the event.
The crop survey reports on cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds, prepared by the Dantiwada Agricultural University, Palanpur (Gujarat) on the basis of production of these spice crops in Saurashtra, Kutch, Unjha, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Sanchore and Nagaur regions, will be presented and released during the convention. In addition to this, an international crop survey in connection with coriander, cumin and fennel will also be presented. Besides, the technical experts will make presentations on the future plans of action on coriander and cumin production. At the end of the convention, awards will be given away in the categories of life-time achievement, young entrepreneurs and progressive farmers.
Sundip
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