SSC
The headquarters of the Spices Board of India is located in:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — Kochi, Kerala
Detailed Solution
The Spices Board of India has its headquarters in Kochi (Cochin), Kerala.
About the Spices Board:
- It was constituted on 26 February 1987 under the Spices Board Act, 1986.
- It was formed by merging the former "Cardamom Board" (1968) and the "Spices Export Promotion Council" (1960).
- It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
- It is responsible for the development and worldwide promotion of Indian spices, and for regulating the export of spices.
- It covers 52 spices listed in the schedule of the Spices Board Act.
- It is directly responsible for the development of small and large cardamom (production, research and marketing).
- Its functions include quality control and certification of spices for export, research, providing support to farmers, organising trade fairs, and promoting the "Spice India" brand.
- It has quality evaluation laboratories in several cities and an Indian Cardamom Research Institute at Myladumpara (Idukki, Kerala).
- It organises the "World Spice Congress".
About spices in India:
India is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices. It is called the "Land of Spices".
Chilli is the largest exported spice from India, followed by spices such as cumin, turmeric and spice oils.
Kerala is called the "Spice Garden of India", famous for black pepper (the "King of Spices") and cardamom (the "Queen of Spices").
Telangana (Nizamabad) is a major producer of turmeric. A "National Turmeric Board", announced in 2023 and launched in 2025, has its headquarters at Nizamabad.
Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) has one of Asia's largest chilli markets.
Unjha (Gujarat) is famous for its cumin (jeera) market.
Rajasthan and Gujarat are leading producers of seed spices such as cumin, coriander and fenugreek.
Kochi has been a centre of the spice trade for centuries; its spice market is in Mattancherry.
Other commodity boards of India:
- Tea Board: Kolkata (1954).
- Coffee Board: Bengaluru (1942).
- Rubber Board: Kottayam (1947).
- Coir Board: Kochi (1953).
- Tobacco Board: Guntur (1976).
- Central Silk Board: Bengaluru (1948).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Guntur has the Tobacco Board and a large chilli market.
- ✗Mumbai has the headquarters of many trade bodies.
- ✗Bengaluru has the Coffee Board.
Quick tip
Remember: Spices Board = Kochi (1987, under the Spices Board Act 1986; Ministry of Commerce; 52 spices); Tea Board = Kolkata; Coffee Board = Bengaluru; Rubber Board = Kottayam; Coir Board = Kochi; Tobacco Board = Guntur.
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Agriculture in India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Agriculture in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers agriculture in India: cropping seasons (kharif, rabi and zaid), major food and cash crops and their leading producer states, irrigation, the Green, White, Blue and other agricultural revolutions, and allied activities such as animal husbandry and fisheries. Questions usually ask which crop belongs to which season, which state is the largest producer of a crop, and which revolution relates to which product. For example, the White Revolution relates to milk and was led by Verghese Kurien, and the Blue Revolution relates to fisheries. Producer rankings can change from year to year, so check the latest data for those questions. Practise the agriculture in India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.