An Overview of the Spice Board of India

The Spice Board of India was enacted on 26th February 1987 under the Spice Board Act, 1986, upon the merging of the Erstwhile Cardamom Board, established in 1968 and the Spices Export Promotion Council, established in 1960. The Spice Board of India is among the five Commodity Boards that all fall under the authorisation of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Spice Board is an autonomous body that is responsible for the promotion of export of the fifty–two scheduled spices and the development of both the large–scale and small–scale Cardamom Industry.

The following mentioned are the fifty–two spices listed in the Spice Board Act that fall under Schedule 2 of the Act -

Cardamom, Pepper, Chilli, Ginger, Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Fennel, Fenugreek, Celery, Aniseed, Bishop's weed, Caraway, Dill, Cinnamon, Cassia, Garlic, Curry leaf, Kokam, Mint, Mustard, Parsley, Pomegranate seed, Saffron, Vanilla, Tej Patta, Pepper long, Star Anise, Sweet flag, Greater Galanga, Horse-Radish, Caper, Clove, Asafoetida, Cambodge, Hyssop, Juniper berry, Bay leaf, Lovage, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Mace, Basil, Poppy Seed, All-Spice, Rosemary, Sage, Savoury, Thyme, Oregano, Tarragon, and Tamarind

Brief on Spice Board Registration

The Spice Board is regulated under the authorisation of the Government of India, essentially for the promotion of exporting of Indian Spices. Producers and Spice Merchants who are involved in the business of exporting of Indian Spices need to mandatorily register under the Spice Board where permission for exportation of fifty–two scheduled spices is granted upon approval by the Board.

Essential Functions of the Spice Board

The following list stated below specifies the essential functions of the Spice Board of India -

• Domestic Marketing through Researching, Developing and Regulating the Small–Scale and Large–Scale Cardamom Industries
• Enhancement of Spices post–harvesting of spices
• Promoting Organic Production of Spices
• Processing and providing Certification for Spices
• Development of production of spices in the North East of India
• Issuance of provisions for Quality Evaluation Services
• Promoting exporting of spices through various methods such as -
• Upgrading the quality of spices
• Promoting the Banding of applicable spices
• Research and product development of spices

Responsibilities of Spice Board for Promoting Export of Spices

The following responsibilities of the Spice Board of India that is required to be maintained for the purpose of promoting the export of spices -

• Issuance of Quality Certifications and having authorisation of control over exporting of spices
• Registering the Exporters of the spices
• Collecting and documenting information in relation to the trade business
• Implying provisions and policies enacted by the Central Government of India in relation to the Importing and Exporting of Spices.

The Versatility of Activities provided by the Spice Board of India

The following activities mentioned below are the list of multi–faceted activities that are provided by the Spice Board -

• Promoting the export of spices and the product manufactured of the spices
• Monitoring the maintenance of the quality of spices being exported
• Developing and implementing production improved manufacturing methods in accordance with the advancement and availability of technology and in terms of the economic status
• Guiding the farmers in practising better improved scientific agricultural practices for getting improved quality yield results.
• Maintenance of provisions for providing financial and material support to farmers
• Encouraging farming, producing and exporting of organic spices
• Providing financial and physical aid for processing of the Indian Spices
• Registering and licensing of all exporters of the Indian Spices
• Providing needed assistance and aid for studies and research purposes for improving the processing of spice products, a better quality of the management system, enhancement of the grading system, along with effective packaging methods.
• Manufacturing of Promotional and Educative Materials for all types of media that results in benefiting the exporters and importers of the Indian Spices

Services provided for Exporters and Importers

The following pointers mentioned below are the services provided to the exporters and importers by the Spice Board of India -

• Assisting the exporters and importers in the establishment of a mutual contact system
• Identifying the competent supply of available supply sources as per the requirement of the importers
• Processing and forwarding Foreign Trade Enquiries to trustworthy exporters
• Organising of a common platform for enabling interaction among the Indian exporters and the foreign buyers by participating in major International Exhibitions, Meetings, Conferences, etc.
• Examining complaints raised by the importers and the implication of preventive actions
• Organising Quality Improvement Programme for Indian Spices
• Managing a detailed and updated data that is stored for the exporters and the importers
• Bringing International Bodies, Exporters, and Policy Makers closer via Group Contact Programmes
• Making the presence of India recognisable majorly on an international level in International Food Fairs, by conducting food festivals and cooking demonstrations

The Necessity of Spice Board Registration

The Spice Board Act, 1986, states that no one from the date of commencement of the Act, can initiate or carry out any business operations for exporting of any of the Indian Spices prior to the issuance of the Spice Board Registration Certificate.

After successful registration of the Spice Board, the Producer or the Spice Merchant is issued a Spice Board Registration Certificate named "Certificate of Registration as an Exporter of Spices", which is also known as CRES.

Criteria for Rejection of Applications for Spice Board Registration

The following criteria are mentioned below is for determining the basis of rejection of the applications for issuance of the Certification of Spice Board registration –

• The Spice Board has the authorisation for cancelling the Certification if the holder of the Certification has violated any of the Terms and Conditions of the Certificate
• The Spice Board can also reject or cancel Certification if authorised by the Central Government in accordance with the maintenance of interest of the general public.

Documents Needed for Spice Board Registration

The following documents are necessary to be duly filled and submitted for the purpose of applying for the issuance of the Spice Board Registration Certificate -

• Submitting the duly filed application of Form - 1
• A Self–Attested copy of the Import - Export Code Certificate, also known as the IE Code Certificate
• The required Registration Fee in accordance with the form of Crossed Demand Draft that favours the Spice Board
• A copy of the Partnership Deed or the Memorandum of Association along with the Article of Association
• A copy of the Goods and Service Registration Certificate, also known as the GST Certificate
• The Certificate that is issued by the Directorate of Industries for the Manufacturer – Exporter, if applicable
• A copy of the Pan Card of the Applicant for verification purposes
• A Passport Size Photograph that has a White Background of either the CO of the company or the Designated Officer of the applicable Firm

Procedure for Spice Board Registration Certificate

The application procedure for the issuance of Certification of the Spice Board Registration compromises of five simple steps –

• The Applicant firstly needs to register themselves under the governmental portal of the Spice Board of India. The Applicant is also needed to submit their Import - Export Code Certificate, contact number, and e–mail ID. Upon successful verification of the contact number and the e–mail ID, the Applicant would be directed for filing the application form
• The details of the IE Code Certificate should be correctly submitted as the Spice Board issues the Certificate of Registration as an Exporter of Spices, also known as the CRES, in accordance with the IE Code Certificate. The Applicant is also required to submit all the other necessary documents as specified above.
• The Applicant is then required to submit the applicable fees as prescribed for the application form.
• For the purpose of evaluation and verification, all the documents are then sent to the applicable Regional Office authorised under the Spice Board. If any errors or faults are found in the documentation or the application form, the Applicant is immediately reverted for rectifying the errors and re–submitting the files again. When the documents are approved to be in order, it is forwarded for further processing to the HO. Upon completion of the processing of the documents, it is then forwarded back to the applicable Regional Office.
• After the details of the Applicant have been registered under the HO, the exporter is registered under the Spice Board, and the Certificate of Registration as an Exporter of Spices is issued.

Penalty for Violation of Spice Board Certificate

In case of violation of any provisions set against the commencement of trading without obtaining the Spice Board Certification, certain penalties would be implied -

• Imprisonment, which may extend to a year
• Fine that may extend up to INR 1000.

How Can Corpbiz help?

Corpbiz is a platform that cooperates in assisting all your legal and financial requirements being fulfilled and by connecting you with our experts in the appropriate field of law. Clients that seek assistance from Corpbiz always have a positive response towards the legal services that are provided due to our focus on simplification of the legal requirements. We make sure to consistently provide our clients with an interactive and systematic briefing as per the Client's legal requirements.

If a client that seeks assistance from Corpbiz has any questions regarding the legal procedure for acquiring Spice Board Registration, Corpbiz representatives have a quick response rate compared to other service providers. Corpbiz ensures that the Client's interaction with our experts is always positive and seamless.

• Purchase a Plan for Expert Assistance
• Add Queries Regarding acquiring Spice Board Registration
• Provide Documents to Corpbiz Expert
• Prepare Application for Spice Board Registration
• Complete all Eligibility Criteria for the Required Application Procedure
• Complete all Procedural Actions
• Get your legal requirements fulfilled by Corpbiz for end-to-end assistance.