Port Blair, Aug 2 (PTI) In a significant move toward revitalising the centuries-old spice route and boosting indigenous production, the Andaman and Nicobar administration has launched an ambitious project titled 'Spice Pravah', a top official said on Saturday.

In an interview with PTI, Chief Secretary Chandra Bhushan Kumar said, "As we know, spices are deeply woven into our culture and gastronomic traditions. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands—historically connected to the global spice trade route since the Chola Empire and later leveraged by colonial powers—are now capitalising on their natural advantages to expand spice cultivation." With an average annual rainfall of 3,400 mm spread across 180 days and a climate highly conducive to spice production, the region offers ideal conditions for growing a wide variety of spices, he added.

Highlighting the under-utilisation of this potential, Kumar said, "Though spices like cinnamon, clove, and black pepper have been grown here, they were cultivated in limited quantities primarily for local use. This new initiative marks a strategic shift towards large-scale production to meet both domestic demand and reduce dependency on imports." Under the 'Spice Pravah' project (Spice Promotion by Integrated Cultivation & Enhancement — Spice, Promotion of Resilient Aromatic Value Chains & Holistic Farming — Pravah), the administration has outlined a comprehensive, long-term plan that integrates both government agriculture farms and enthusiastic private farmers.

A total of 1.25 lakh spice saplings are set to be planted between August and September. The breakdown includes 70,000 cinnamon trees, 50,000 black pepper plants and around 1,000 nutmeg trees. All saplings will be cultivated in government nurseries to ensure quality and uniformity.

The initiative has received technical and institutional support from the Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (CIARI), the Botanical Survey of India, and other government research bodies. The administration also plans to implement intercropping strategies by utilising available space within existing coconut plantations for spice cultivation, he said.

"Over the next four years, we expect significant spice yields that will not only support local consumption but also contribute to the national supply chain," the chief secretary added.

The future interventions under 'Spice Pravah' is to establish eight Spice collection centres across eight agricultural zones to support processing and value-added product development, provision of training and technical support to farmers.

A dedicated core team has already undergone a five-day intensive training at the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), Kozhikode. Focus on branding, GI tagging, and developing a robust marketing network to help Island-grown spices gain recognition in international markets.

With the 'Spice Pravah' project, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration aims to reclaim its historical legacy in the spice trade, promote agricultural self-reliance, and generate economic opportunities for local communities, he added. PTI SN MNB

Spice cultivation revitalisation to expand domestic production and integrate island agriculture into national value chains. The 'Spice Pravah' programme aims to scale commercial spice production by propagating saplings in government nurseries, using intercropping in existing coconut plantations, and coordinating government farms with private farmers. It establishes regional collection centres for processing and value addition, provides farmer training and technical support, and prioritises branding and GI tagging to integrate island-grown spices into wider supply chains with support from national agricultural research institutes.