NEW DELHI: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in December said annual production of spices in the country rose 60 per cent to record 107 lakh tons since the 2014-15 season. Among spices, jeera output rose 14.8 per cent, garlic 14.7 per cent, ginger 7.5 per cent, saunf 6.8 per cent, coriander 6.2 per cent, fenugreek 5.8 per cent, red chili 4.2 per cent, and turmeric 1.3 per cent.

He was speaking at the launch of a handbook titled ‘Spice Statistics at a Glance - 2021’ here. Besides, India’s earnings from exports of spices almost doubled during the period at Rs 29,535 crore, Mr Tomar said. The book constitutes statistics on production, acreage data, yield, export-import, historical prices, values and nutritional values of the commodities. Mr Tomar, during his address at the launch event, said this book will benefit policy makers, stakeholders, scientists, researchers, and most importantly the farmers.