Parliament Question: Adoption of Codex Standards and impact on exports

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 85 ANSWERED ON 06/02/2026 ADOPTION OF CODEX STANDARDS AND IMPACT ON EXPORTS *85. SHRI SUBHASH BARALA: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: (a) the percentage increase recorded in the export of major spices such as turmeric, cardamom, and coriander in 2025 compared to 2024, after the adoption of Codex Standards; (b) the number of farmers and cooperative groups benefited from compliance with Codex Standards and the estimated increase in their income; (c) the number of new international markets or buyers accessed by Indian spice exporters in 2025 due to compliance with Codex Standards; and (d) whether any measurable reduction has been recorded in spice shipments rejected or returned in 2025 as a result of compliance with global quality standards? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL) (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House. *****STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (d) OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 85 FOR ANSWER ON 06TH FEBRUARY, 2026 REGARDING “ADOPTION OF CODEX STANDARDS AND IMPACT ON EXPORTS” (a) to (d) The export of Turmeric, Cardamom and Coriander put together from India stood at USD 628.05 million in the year 2024-25, representing a growth of 30.92% over the export of USD 479.75 million for these three spices in the year 2023-24. The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs works on the development of quality standards, including compositional characteristics and factors that determine intrinsic quality. The benefit of these standards lie in providing internationally accepted reference benchmarks that assist in improving acceptance of Indian produce in the global markets. Export volumes or farm incomes are influenced by various factors, which inter alia include global demand, supply and price trends, improvements in quality and compliance with various domestic and international quality standards. During 2024-25, India exported spices and spice products to 180 destinations worldwide. During both the years 2023-24 and 2024-25, over 99.8% of the consignments of spices and spice products exported from India were accepted in the International markets. *****