Budgam, February 26: To commemorate its 39th Foundation Day, the Spices Board under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, organized a one-day awareness program on the theme “Clean and Safe Spices” in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra Budgam. The event was part of the Board’s nationwide campaign aimed at promoting quality and safety standards in spice production and trade, officials told Morning Kashmir.
During the programme, Ashutosh Gautam, Scientist at the Spices Board, Srinagar, delivered a detailed presentation on national and international quality standards for spices. He highlighted regulatory frameworks including USFDA, ASTA and European Union standards, and stressed the importance of adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP). He also elaborated on the domestic standards laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and discussed the 8th edition of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) with special reference to organic spices.
The technical session featured scientific deliberations by KVK experts on various aspects including scientific cultivation practices, pest and disease management, post-harvest handling, processing, packaging and value addition of spices from Jammu & Kashmir.
