Spices Board to set up India’s first Spice Museum in Kochi

KOCHI:
In a first of its kind in the country, Spices Board will set up a Spice Museum at Willingdon Island here to attract and educate tourists and seafarers about the fascinating history and growth of Indian spices industry.
The museum will showcase the entire gamut of spices industry, beginning with cultivation and processing to the finished product, besides its history, usage, storage and quality assessment. Over 30 raw spices and culinary herbs are to be displayed at the museum.
It will display the history and development of Indian spices industry through an array of paintings, pictures, brochures and books. The museum will also have a signature stall to facilitate the tourists to purchase authentic Indian spices as presents and souvenirs of Kochi, the land of spices.
“The museum will be an information centre on quality spices to attract sailors and overseas tourists,” Dr Jayathilak, chairman, Spices Board, said.
“The signature stall at Willingdon Island, the fifth in India, is a pioneering initiative of the Spices Board, and we intend to leverage it for promoting spices in a big way in both India and abroad,” he added.
Cochin Port Trust has allotted 15 cents of land adjacent to Cochin Heritage Museum at the North End of Willingdon Island for setting up the Spice Museum.  The land has been leased to the Board for 30 years on a yearly rent of Re 1.
Paul Antony said “The museum will give opportunity to international tourists coming via cruise liners to experience the serenity of Spice industry as they do not have the time to visit Spice plantations.” The objective of the museum-cum-signature stall is to facilitate the tourists for sourcing authentic Indian spices to prepare flavoured dishes and buying them as  presents and souvenirs of Kochi, famous for its wide variety of spices. It will also update the knowledge on spices industry besides touch and feel of major spices.
Spices and value added products will be sold at the stall, which has been set up in a state of the art infrastructure so as to create in the minds of the customers a sustainable brand image of Indian spices as a premium product.
premium product.