Business EconomyPosted at: May 18 2026 2:31PM


ITC empowers 31,800 Spice Farmers through tech-driven programme across 2.2 Lakh Acres

New Delhi, May 18 (UNI) ITC Limited has built a comprehensive agri-ecosystem that is empowering Indian farmers to cultivate high-value spices through access to advanced advisory services, technological inputs, traceability systems and global market linkages, the company said.
Backed by its state-of-the-art spices processing facility in Guntur and its integrated technology-enabled spices programme, ITC said it has cumulatively benefited more than 31,800 spices farmers across 2.2 lakh acres.
The initiative has helped farmers improve productivity, adopt sustainable farming practices and enhance incomes through export opportunities.
The company said it emerged as India’s leading exporter of organic spices in 2025, expanding the global market for Indian spices while strengthening sustainable agricultural value chains and rural livelihoods.
ITC’s spices processing facility in Guntur, spread across six acres, is among Asia’s largest processed spices facilities with a handling capacity of over 20,000 metric tonnes annually. The facility can process more than 15 varieties of spices and is equipped with specialised processing, logistics and packaging infrastructure for organic produce.
The company said the facility enables end-to-end traceability through barcode-based sourcing systems, ensuring visibility across the processing chain and improving compliance with food safety standards in international markets.
ITC said it has built a robust backward integration programme focused on farmer empowerment through three key models: Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and organic farming. These initiatives aim to provide farmers with better agronomic practices, inputs and market access.
According to an earlier analysis by IDH – The Sustainable Trade Initiative, farmers associated with ITC’s spices programme over a 10-year period witnessed a 42 per cent increase in incomes compared to baseline farmers, driven by higher yields, reduced costs, better quality and improved market access.
The company said its focus on premium and value-added spices, including organic and traceable products, has enhanced its sourcing competitiveness in global markets amid rising demand for health-focused and ethically sourced products.
ITC said it has expanded the presence of Indian spices in regulated export markets including the United States, the European union and the United Kingdom. Technology continues to play a key role in the programme.
The company said its spices consignments have consistently met food safety norms in markets such as the EU, Japan and the US, helping reduce recall risks and improve export access for Indian spices.
ITC also leverages its ‘phygital’ platform, ITCMAARS, to deliver AI-powered personalised advisory services to farmers through Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). The platform offers tools such as AI-enabled crop calendars, weather alerts, pest detection systems, fertiliser calculators and “Krishi Mitra”, a GenAI-powered multilingual voice assistant and chatbot.
According to the company, ITCMAARS currently supports more than 18,250 farmers in the spices value chain and is developing a Profit and Loss Calculator to help farmers make more informed crop-planning and input decisions for high-value agriculture.
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