A spices route to tribal empowerment

For Jayakumar I., a 26-year-old Muthuvan tribal youth from the Mulakuthara settlement, opening a spices shop is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream and a significant step toward empowering his community.

Mr. Jayakumar, a postgraduate from Edamalakkudy, the State’s first tribal panchayat, had spent years witnessing tribal farmers exploited by middlemen by purchasing organic produce at low rates.

“For several years, my dream was to open a spices shop that sells organic items produced by people of Edamalakkudy,” he says. “That dream finally came true last week when I opened my shop at Chattupara, near Adimaly, on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway.”

“The shop’s primary mission is to ensure fair price and a reliable market for farmers in the settlement. Our community produces high-quality organic spices but farmers do not have proper market access and are forced to sell to middlemen who dictate the rates,” Mr. Jayakumar says.

“I will collect items from my settlement at a fair price to sell in my shop. When farmers receive the payment they deserve, more people will be encouraged to take up farming. My aim is to provide them with that opportunity,” he says.

The shop stocks organic staples such as cardamom, pepper, ginger, turmeric, honey, Malabar tamarind, and Indian frankincense. Mr. Jayakumar also plans to sell various forest produce collected by the tribespeople. He says that the Devikulam Taluk Industries Officer and the State Bank of India provided crucial support for his initiative.

The movement to support Edamalakkudy’s farmers is gaining broader institutional support. Subash Chandran, an author who has written extensively about the region, recently petitioned the Chief Minister’s Office to secure a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Edamalakkudy’s organic cardamom.

“The organic cardamom grown in Edamalakkudy is a unique variety. A GI tag will significantly boost its market value and help the tribal farmers,” says Mr. Chandran. The CMO has since directed the Chief Conservator of Forests to study the matter and submit a report.