India the Land of Spices India is known as the home of spices and boasts of a long history of trading with

the ancient civilisations of Rome and China. Today, Indian spices are the most sought-after globally, given their exquisite aroma, texture and taste. India has the largest domestic market for spices in the world. Some Applications

Pharmaceuticals Medicine Beverages Food processing Personal hygiene products,including cosmetics

India's varying climatic conditions offer enormous scope for the cultivation of a variety of spices. Almost all Indian states produce spices. About 2.47 million hectares were under spices cultivation and produced 4.02 million tonnes in 2009-10. Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh are some of the major spices producing states. India is the world's largest producer and exporter of spices of the 109 varieties listed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as the country produces and exports about 75 varieties of spices. Spices Board of India The Spices Board of India works towards the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices. It provides quality control and certification, registers exporters, documents trade information and provides inputs to the Central government on policy matters. It participates in major international fairs and food exhibitions to promote India spices, apart from organizing the annual World Spice Congress. KOLKATA: Masters of spices - Everest, MTR, MDH and Catch - are all trying to bite off a chunk of the masala market with a tangy new formula that would titillate tastebuds all across. With the regional palate going pan-Indian, players are spicing up the market with their blended masalas like garam masalas, pav bhaji masala, Punjabi chhole masala, sambhar and rasam powder, puliogere powder, rajma masala, shahi paneer masala and many more. In the approximately Rs 1,200-crore packaged and branded spices market, competition is intense, both in the local and national level. According to AC Nielsen data, in 2005, the branded spices category grew by 45%. There is, of course, a thriving unorganised market, unofficially pegged at Rs 25,000 crore. However, the unorganised and branded players are both familiar with regional tastes. Thus, in this intensely competitive market, large branded players attempting to become national names have hit on the surefire formula of blended spices. Given the difference in food habits among Indians, presence of local brands that cater to specific tastes and recipes of individual ethnic groups is expected. In the face of such competition, national brands are adopting a one taste fits all approach to marketing, Deepak Shah, head, advertising and marketing, Everest Foods, told DNA Money. Sadananda Maiya, chairman & managing director, MTR Foods, said, The offtake of blended spices differs from region to region. As tastes differ from region to region, there is also a strong variation in spices. However, MTR garam masala, sambhar and pulioegere powders are selling across regions as the tastes are accepted well. Taking advantage of this trend, Catch recently launched a combo pack of six satches of 15 gms each containing masalas like shahi paneer, pav bhaji, dal makhani, sambhar, chhole and rajma masalas for Rs 20.