Patna: Bihar is no longer content with being merely a grain-producing state. The state is now setting its sights on the global spice market, with Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, and Spices Board, Union ministry of commerce and industry, joining hands to unlock its largely untapped potential.A buyer-seller meet on spices, organised on Friday, brought together farmers, FPOs, traders, spice-industry stakeholders and exporters from across the country in a bid to build direct market linkages and push Bihar’s spices towards export markets.RPCAU vice-chancellor P S Pandey, who was the chief guest on this occasion, made a strong pitch for transforming Bihar into a major spice-producing and exporting hub. “Bihar’s time has come in the spices sector,” he said, arguing that the state’s agro-climatic conditions are ideally suited for turmeric, ginger, coriander, fenugreek and other high-value spices.“The challenge is no longer production. It is linkage, quality, marketing, export and value addition,” Pandey said. He called for a shift from traditional farming to an integrated “Lab to land to market” model that would turn farmers into agri-entrepreneurs.In a significant proposal, he urged the Spices Board to establish a quality and pesticide-testing laboratory at RPCAU to strengthen Bihar’s export value chain. The university, he said, would extend technical support to FPOs in export marketing, quality planting material and post-harvest technologies.Spices Board director (marketing) Basisth Narayan Jha said Bihar had been identified as a priority state for spice development. He said Indian spices generate more than Rs35,000 crore in exports annually and Bihar had considerable scope to expand its share.He identified Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Champaran, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Begusarai, Nalanda, Gaya and Bhagalpur as potential production centres for quality rhizome and seed spices.Jha said the board would focus on reducing middlemen, improving traceability, promoting GI tagging and helping farmers secure premium prices. Export promotion, capacity building and quality testing would be supported through the board’s facilities, including its QEL laboratory in Kolkata.The meet was convened by Sandeep Kumar Chaurasia of the Spices Board’s Kolkata regional office and organised by A K Mishra of RPCAU.The event saw participation of 253 spice growers, 56 traders and 25 exporters, besides FPO representatives, scientists and students, signalling growing interest in taking Bihar’s farm produce beyond domestic markets and onto global shelves.
