India's spice export may fall 40 pc if EtO contamination issue not resolved quickly: FISS
FISS) on Friday said India's spice export may decline nearly 40 per cent in FY25 if the issue of ethylene oxide or EtO contamination in spices meant for exports is not addressed at the earliest. The statement came against the backdrop of Hong Kong and Singapore banning the sale of popular brands MDH and Everest after detecting carcinogenic chemical ethylene oxide in their products, leading to a mandatory recall from shelves.
In 2023-24, India's spice exports totalled USD 4.25 billion, accounting for 12 per cent share of global spice exports.
«Lot of exporters have orders on their hands and they have been halted to an extent after that episode. As per our estimate, spice exports could be affected by 40 per cent of the volume this year if the issue is not resolved quickly,» said Tejas Gandhi, Secretary of FISS, an association of nearly 600 spice traders, exporters and farmers from across the country.
Addressing a press conference on the issue, FISS Chairman Ashwin Nayak said that misinformation is being spread about EtO, which according to him, is widely used across the world and Indian firms are exporting EtO-treated spices to the US for nearly 30 to 40 years now.
«EtO is not a pesticide which is directly sprayed on crops. EtO is an gaseous agent used only by approved organisations to remove or control harmful microbiological and bacterial elements from the spices, such as E. coli, coliform, aflatoxins and yeast. This is a widely used technique in most parts of the world,» Nayak told reporters.
«India's spice
