GUIDELINES ON QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Importance of Export

Exports form the most important source of foreign exchange for developing countries. All developing countries, including, of course, India strive to increase their exports as a means for mobilising resources for their development plans. Indian economy is basically agrarian and hence export of food and agricultural products assume crucial significance in our export efforts. Growth in agro-exports not only brings in additional foreign exchange for the country but benefits a large number of people involved in the production, processing and exports of such products.

Export of spices from India

From time immemorial India has been known as the Land of Spices. The Chinese, Arabs and The Europeans came to the Indian shores lured by the spices grown here. Pepper, ginger, turmeric and cardamom are the most renowned of Indian spices. The world consumption of spices is growing steadily year by year. Expansion of our export of spices to increase or even to retain our share of world market is imperative. This can be achieved only through increased productivity and improved quality.

Export and economy of farmers

India is predominently an agrarian country and the prosperity of our farmers brings prosperity to the nation. While no efforts should be spared to increase productivity from each hectare of land under cultivation, the marketability of the produce is crucially important. If there is a fall in demand it leads to a glut in the market and consequently prices become uneconomic. All agricultural commodities have this inherent problem. When a product depends upon an export market also, the situation becomes more complex. A setback in the markets in New York or London affects the farmers in the remote villages in Kerala or Karnataka and upsets our economy. It is, therefore, a matter of survival for us to increase productivity and also maintain the marketability of the produce through improved quality.

QUALITY REQUIREMENTS OF FOODS FOR EXPORT

Developed countries are the major markets for our food exports. USA, Japan, Canada, Australia and the European countries have their own stringent food laws and regulations. The main objective of the laws is to protect the health and safety of their citizens. They allow import of food materials only when they conform to the provisions of their food laws and regulations.

Why food quality?

The developed countries give top priority to the health of their citizens. The laws with respect to items of food are meant to protect the consumers from food of inferior quality, or those which are likely to be contaminated by impurities or poisonous substances. Therefore any food item that we export, be it marine products, cashews, pepper, cardamom or ginger, it is important that the product conforms to the quality standards demanded by the importing country. In the context of thousands of people getting infected with foodborne diseases or even dying of food poisoning, it is only just and reasonable that countries which depend on imported food stuffs should take such extreme precautions. Food materials that have become rotten, spoiled, infected with micro-organisms or contaminated by other impurities are either destroyed by the import inspection authorities or sent back to the exporting country. This not only results in loss of market but also damages the exporting country’s reputation.

Factors affecting the quality of food products

Right from the initial stages of production to the time till the produce reaches the consumer, the farmer has to combat many unfavourable circumstances. Among these are pests, micro-organisms which infest the farmland, foreign matter which may be dangerous or otherwise, poisonous substances or impurities which get into products from materials used in processing, micro-organisms and dirt introduced into the product through unhygienic practices of the people who handle the produce, as well as loss of quality that results from short-comings in storage practices.

What is adulterated food

The word ‘adulterated’ has a different connotation in the developed countries. Items of food affected by pests, microbes or fungi become impure and unfit for human consumption. The presence of foreign matter, moisture content above permissible levels, residues of pesticides, presence of other chemicals etc., also make food unfit for human consumption. Importing countries like USA and Japan detain imported foods when they have evidence that these were produced and processed under unhygienic conditions, and subject to further action depending on the degree of contamination.

The consumer and the contaminants in food stuffs

Pathogenic organisms which get into food stuffs cause diseases to the consumer. Toxins produced by the microbes cause food poisoning. The excreta of rodents and birds contain millions of microbes. These can cause deadly diseases as well as poisoning due to toxin. Rodent excreta contains chemicals which may cause cancer. Toxins secreted by certain fungi also have been proved to cause cancer. Food stuffs processed in dirty and unhygienic conditions are rejected by the consumers. They also begin to suspect any product originating from countries which have been guilty of exporting such contaminated products. Moreover, the consumers organise themselves and apply pressure on the government for stringent measures. Such a situation seriously affects the export trade of the producing countries.

New trends in the international market

Stringent health and food laws exist in all developed countries. These countries often revise such laws in the light of new scientific findings. For example, it might so happen that monitoring to find out the presence of certain disease causing organisms in food stuffs is made mandatory all on a sudden. Similarly, changes are often made in the tolerance levels of pesticide residues. These countries are also steadily bringing down the permissible levels of other impurities. Thus scientific and technological advancement brings forth new challenges in the export trade. The health and food laws which are increasingly becoming stringent reflect the grave concern of the respective government for the safety and welfare of their people.

A new consciousness is growing all over the world about disease-causing organisms, poisonous substances and impurities. Parallel to this, the degree of excellence which consumers expect from foods is also growing. Exporting countries are thus constrained to maintain quality standards set by the importing countries. According to projections made by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, food exports will register significant growth in the next decade. Increasing our share in this expanding market offers opportunity as well as a challenge.

We export spices mostly to developed countries like USA, UK, Germany, other European Countries, Japan, Canada etc. These countries have very stringent food laws and regulations to ensure that foods which include spices, are safe, whole – some and produced under sanitary and hygienic conditions. Hence spices exported into these countries should be free from bacterial contamination, mold, mycotoxins, harmful chemicals including pesticide residues and other pollutants, insect infestation and filth contributed byanimals, insects or insanitary conditions in the farm, warehouse, pack age or carrier. The concern of the importing countries about food safety and quality is understandable as several cases of foodborne diseases and food poisoning occur in these countries as a result of consuming contaminated food.

GUIDELINES ON QUALITY IMPROVEMENT of some spices is given below: