The spice economy and covid 19: Consequences, responses and prospects

Abstract

The Covid 19 pandemic has influenced all facets of the economy including agriculture. Spices sector, which forms a distinct subsector of the agricultural economy has also been affected in diverse ways. Using the spice production estimates from Spices Board and Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development, this paper examines the impact of the Covid pandemic on the spice output during the two crop seasons (2019–20 and 2020–21) which were affected by restrictions arising from lockdown and other adverse effects of the pandemic. Based on discussions with diverse stakeholders across spice processors and export industries, the immediate challenges faced by the sector along with the strategies for addressing these challenges are also discussed. The absence of traceability systems, increasing stringency in food safety and quality standards in export destinations, the concerns about quality of the produce, bottlenecks in supply chain logistics and absence of rapid quality assessment technologies at the field level are some of the major constraints identified in the spices sector. Strategies like strengthening of regulated markets, capacity building of farmer collectives along with emphasis on efficient crop advisory services and initiatives for technology led growth in the spice crops can ensure crisis proofing and building of resilient spice supply chains