Spices Board Plans Pepper E-Auction

Encouraged by the positive response to the electronic auction of cardamom, Spices Board is considering replicating the success in pepper too. The board is hoping to use the storage and processing facilities at its newly-built spice park in Idukki for pepper and cardamom e-trading as it could help enhance the export revenue as there will be more premium grades for exports.

We have just mooted the proposal and will have to discuss it with trade and industry before finalizing the procedures, said VJ Kurien,chairman of Spices Board. At present,pepper have few varieties like Malabar Garbled,Tellicherry Extra Bold etc. The idea is to create more varieties of good quality that could fetch premium prices. We can grade them according to size and then put them in auction, said J Thomas,director-research,Spices Board. Right now, the electronic auctions are prevalent in cardamom and tea only.White pepper processing facility to be started at the park will be an added advantage.

Normally, the white pepper is made from the green pepper. But the spices park will have facilities for making white pepper from dry pepper as well and this could be graded separately. The farmers could use the huge godown for storing pepper, which is mainly grown in Idukki and Wayanad districts in Kerala and in certain parts of Karnataka.

(Source: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Commodities-Buzz-Spices-Board-Plans-Pepper-E-Auction/3513376405)