Kerala is a land of spices considering the large variety of spices grown in the state.
Today there are as many as 26 Indian spices that are greatly in demand in different countries. Apart from flavouring food and beverages, they are increasingly used in the manufacture of spice mixtures, oils, oleoresins, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and aromatics. Little wonder then that India is the single largest source of spices in the world.
The most popular among the spices are pepper, cardamom, turmeric, chillies and ginger. Pepper, known as the 'King of Spices' is perhaps the world's oldest known spice and is cultivated in over 158,000 hectares in Kerala, which accounts for 96 % of the total production in the country.
There are a lot of opportunities for investors in the spice sector and Spices Board, the caretaker of the sector in India is based in the state.