MP Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday (24 February) that India’s spice exporters need to move from efficiency to resilience amid climate shocks, geopolitical tensions and tightening food safety rules.
The assumptions that once underpinned global trade, such as predictable and stable routes and frictionless markets, are steadily eroding, he said in his keynote address on “Spicing India’s Global Story Culture, Trade and Competitiveness in a Changing World” at the ninth annual International Spices Conference organized by the All India Spices Exporters Forum in Kochi.
He said that efficiency alone is no longer enough. Resilience is the new benchmark in today’s world. Trust does not come with a handshake; he is coming with the lab report as he said in the report issued here.
He said tightening residue standards and traceability requirements in major import markets had turned compliance into a strategic imperative. A single rejected shipment can damage credibility far beyond the immediate financial loss. Compliance is no longer a technical exercise. It is a paramount strategic imperative, he said.
Mr. Tharoor added that climate change is no longer a theoretical risk but a day-to-day operational challenge affecting yields and quality consistency in spice-producing regions. Sustainability should be seen as a “competitiveness insurance”, not an external requirement, he said.
He highlighted the growing entry of spices into the nutraceutical and wellness markets, where the tolerance for variability is much lower than in traditional culinary use. As spices move into health-related segments, documentation, traceability and scientific validation become non-negotiable, he said.
Published – 24 Feb 2026 20:18 IST
