About Us

World Spice Organisation (WSO), is a not-for-profit organisation, established nearly a decade ago with the major objective of working on “Food Safety and Sustainability” in Spices sector. WSO works as an extended arm of All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF) in the area of technical, food safety and sustainability aspects of the Spice Industry, and is funded by AISEF – either partly or fully – for activities undertaken on behalf of AISEF. The organization has taken several initiatives in the past including a campaign in Nutmeg to bring down the Aflatoxin issues, backward integration for Chillies, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Madhya Pradesh, Cumin IPM program in Rajasthan and supporting the Spices Board to establish the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH).

IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative is a not-for-profit organization, headquartered in The Netherlands. IDH convenes companies, CSOs, governments and others in public-private partnerships to drive the joint design, co-funding and prototyping of new economically viable approaches to realize green and inclusive growth at scale in commodity sectors and sourcing areas. IDH approaches are designed to drive sustainability from niche to norm in mainstream markets, delivering impact on Sustainable Development Goals, that are focused on creating positive impact on deforestation, living incomes and living wages, working conditions, toxic loading and gender.

GIZ Private Business Action for Biodiversity Project: The project ‘Private Business Action for Biodiversity’ is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). It is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The project pursues to identify and analyse promising mechanisms and instruments for promoting biodiversity-friendly production and commercialization and to test pilot approaches in three partner countries – India, Brazil and Mexico. The project aims to learn from the pilot implementation to further develop the mechanisms and instruments where required, and to systemize the experiences gained in a way that enables both the private and public actors to use them. 

Spices Board of India: Spice Board of India is the flagship organisation for Indian spices. Spices Board started working under the ambit of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India in 1987.  Through the years, the Board has engaged in multipronged promotional programmes for spices and spices products internationally and  working for the post-harvest operations of various spices spread across the different agro-climatic zones of the country. A total of 52 spices are listed for its activities for the Spices Board which includes major and minor spices besides culinary herbs. The nationwide interface to improve the quality of post harvesting in major spices had been showing results as these help in bringing to the fore the producers of major spices scattered in the remote localities.

Rainforest Alliance: The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organisation working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. We are building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.

All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF): The AISEF was established in the year 1987, and works towards protecting the interests of the spice exporters in the country, creating a sustainable, pro-development business environment for the spice industry and its stakeholders. AISEF is managed by an elected Managing Committee chosen from among its members.

Ramkumar Menon

Chairman, World Spice Organisation

Ramkumar Menon did his Masters in Economics from Delhi University and brings over 35 years of experience in the Spice industry. He has worked in different capacities in the corporate world as Head of the Spice Division of Brooke Bond India Ltd and General Manager, International Business Division at Tata Tea Ltd. He has served in key positions of the industry as two-time Chairman of the All India Spices  Exporters Forum (AISEF), Vice Chairman of the Spices Board, and Board member of the Spices Board of India for nine years. He is currently the Chairman of the World Spice Organisation – a not-for-profit body created by the Industry for promoting the objectives of Food Safety and Sustainability in Spices. He is also a Member of the Management Committee of AISEF. He was a member of the executive committee of IISR and is also on the panel of experts of IFEAT.

Priyamvada Nilayangod
Executive – Technical

Ms. Priyamvada Nilayangod has an educational background in biotechnology and has been working in spices sector since 2014. She previously served as a technical assistant at the Spices Board of India before joining World Spice organization in 2019. She is interested in contributing to the sustainable agriculture space in India.

Mr. G. Muralidhara Menon
Senior Advisor, Agricultural Extension

Graduate in Agriculture and PG in Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry from Kerala Agricultural University, Postgraduate Diploma in plant health management PGDPHM from NIPHM, Hyderabad.

Previously working in the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers Welfare, GOK, and retired as Deputy Director of Agriculture in April 2022. He also served as a Field officer at Rubber Board, GOI before joining at Department of Agriculture. Engaged in the development of vegetables and fruits while associating with the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council (VFPCK), GOK during a deputation spell in the department.

He is interested in eco-friendly and sustainable plant health management activities..