Spices Board to sign MoU with CUSAT for R

Kochi, Feb 12 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh today said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would be signed between the Spices Board and the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) to pursue research and development in spices.

Addressing a gathering, after inaugurating the 'Rajiv Gandhi Chair in Contemporary Studies' here, Mr Ramesh said the MoU would be signed to promote value-added export of spices, especially mint and to study the medicinal application of spices.

He said mint should be given due importance as out of Rs 2,000 crore worth of spices export, mint constituted a healthy Rs 500 crore.

The Kerala-based Spices Board was not giving importance to mint as it was grown in Uttar Pradesh and other states, the Minister said. The agreement, to be signed in one month would also try to tap the opportunities in the medicinal application of spices, he said adding the efficacy of the herbal medicines could be increased by adding spices extracts to the medicine and the MoU would initiate efforts on that front.

UNI