The Spices Board has joined hands with Uttarakhand Government and House of Himalayas — a brand launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — for the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.

AB Remashree, Director, Spices Board signed an MoU with the Directorate of Horticulture and Food Processing, Uttarakhand in this regard.

The agreement focuses on identifying suitable areas for expanding large cardamom cultivation and other spices in the region. The pilot project is aimed at enhancing the green economy through improving post-harvest practices, establishing market linkages, boosting quality, and building the capacity of farmers, along with facilitating the formation of Farmer Producer Organisations.

Developing Uttarakhand spice brand

Besides a MoU was also signed by the Spices Board to boost the presence of Uttarakhand’s spices under the “House of Himalayas” brand. With this partnership, both organisations will work towards developing the Uttarakhand spice brand while exploring economic opportunities for local farmers, a press release said.

Actions to expand large cardamom cultivation in the northern Himalayan region have started under Spices Board’s flagship scheme programme — SPICED. The initiative aims to sensitise farmers to advanced agricultural practices, post-harvest handling and improvement, value addition of spices, and primary processing.