Spice industry expresses concern over import suspension

• By Nuzla Rizkiya

The government’s decision to suspend the import of several spices including pepper for re-exports is a major setback for the Sri Lankan spice industry, the Spice Council said. 
Speaking to Mirror Business, Spice Council Chairman Viraj De Silva said the decision by the government will impact the roll-out of critical strategies put in place to uplift the nation’s spice sector to become a US$ 1 billion industry in five years.

“Value addition and value creation is critical for Sri Lankan spice exports. The recent suspension will certainly lessen our ability in this aspect. This will impact our capability to meet global market demands or create unique blends,” said de Silva.
Highlighting an example, he shared that the standard global piperine content for pepper is 4 percent, but in Sri Lanka it could reach up to 8 percent. “If we are to standardise our pepper without blending, we would have to resort to normal black pepper sales where the value addition through blending would be done in another country,” De Silva said.

Even if the move is aimed at protecting local farmers, he asserted that authorities should also look out for the growth of the industry which is taking a step back from improvement.
Following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, the government decided to suspend the gazette notification which allowed the import of several spices grown in Sri Lanka, including pepper, nutmeg, mace (Vasavasi), turmeric, ginger, and cardamom, for re-export. 
According to Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, allowing the import of these spices for re-export discourages local spice farmers which then lead to the collapse of local cultivation and products.