Coriander-the Taste of Vegetables: Present and Future Prospectus for Coriander Seed Production in South-east Rajasthan

R. P. SHARMA1 AND R. S. SINGH2 National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Bohara Ganeshji Road, University Campus, Udaipur-313001. Summary: India is the worlds largest producer, consumer and exporter of the spices and among all coriander seed is one of the most important spices. About 80 % of the world total coriander seed is produced in our country. Of which more than 80 % is produced in South-east Rajasthan. The production of coriander seeds is regulated by most limiting factor (s). A study was conducted on potency of South-east Rajasthan for coriander seed cultivation. The limitations considered for assessment of soil are climatic, topographic, wetness, salinity and alkalinity, soil fertility and physical limitation. The criteria of soil depth, slope, texture, erosion, available water content (AWC) and length of growing period (LGP) were used for final assessment of soils suitability. On the basis of above factors it was recorded that soils of Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota are most suitable for cultivation of coriander seeds. The total geographical area of above four district of Rajasthan is 2435 thousand hectare. Out of this 49 per cent is net sown area. Considering the soil textural limitation 453 thousand hectare area is suitable for coriander cultivation whereas considering the soil slope limitation 1322 thousand hectare area is suitable for coriander cultivation in above four districts of Rajasthan. The data from year 2006-07 to 2010-11 indicated that about 200 (+ 50) thousand hectare area is being kept under coriander seed cultivation in Rajasthan out of this 99 per cent area is situated in southeast Rajasthan i.e. Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota. The study also indicated that area under coriander cultivation in Chittorgarh district has increased by 160% over 2006-07 (1959 ha) and at present it crossed to 3000 hectare. If efforts are made to bring about 400 (+ 50) thousand hectare area under coriander seed cultivation of south-east Rajasthan with the existing productivity level of 1100kg/ha than these four districts can produce 440 thousand metric tones of coriander seeds. The present domestic consumption of coriander seed in India is below 200 thousand metric tones. If rest, 240 thousand metric tones of the produce is exported than India can earn foreign money equivalent to 12000 million considering the existing market price of 50/- per kilogram.

1
2

Scientist (e-mail address: rpsharma64@yahoo.com), NBSS&LUP, Udaipur-313001. Principal Scientist &Head, NBSS&LUP, Regional Centre, Udaipur

India is the worlds largest producer, consumer and

exporter of the spices and among all spices coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seed is one of the most important spices. About 80 % of the world total coriander seed is produced in our country. Coriander seeds and leaves are used as common food flavoring agents. Coriander seeds have medicinal properties too and therefore used as a carminative, and diuretic. Coriander is a commonly used domestic remedy, valued especially for its effect on the digestive system, treating flatulence, diarrhea and colic. In India, coriander is mainly cultivated in Rajasthan, Madhya

Pradesh, UP and southern states like AP, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The spice is an important item of international trade.

World Production and Consumption: The key to making sense of the coriander market is to realize the capacity of specific producer countries to market. India is a significant producer of coriander, but early sixties almost all the production was stayed in the country for domestic consumption. Later, the India started the export of coriander seeds and exported about 21000 metric tones of coriander seeds all over the world. Pakistan produces the coriander seeds up to its domestic demand and some times imports from India to meet out the deficit. Production in Eastern Europe is also known to be substantial, but very little information is available. Major producers are India, Morocco, Canada, Pakistan, Romania and the former Soviet Union. Other producers include Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Israel in the Middle East; China, Burma and Thailand in Asia; and Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, France and the Netherlands in Europe. The United States, Canada, Argentina and Mexico are producers in the Americas. Canadian production is mostly of the large-seeded coriander. The days-tomaturity requirement is approximately 100 days. The smaller-seeded coriander requires a

longer growing period of approximately 120 days. Producers thinking about growing coriander should investigate current pricing of the crop as prices can vary. Due to global competition, the Canadian advantage seems to be in producing a product with high quality and consistent seed size to compete in export markets.

Production scenario of coriander in India and Rajasthan: The data on area, production and productivity (Table 1) indicates that the productivity of coriander seed is increasing since 2007-08. The productivity was 626 kg/ha in year 2007-08 reached to peak in 2009-10 and it is estimated that would be 908 kg/ha in year 2010-11. Area under coriander production in India is also increasing gradually. The increase in overall production of coriander seeds in India is mainly due to the advancement of production technology through National Agriculture Research System. Introduction of improved varieties, advancement of production techniques, soil nutrient management and sowing of crop as per soil/land suitability are the major production factor for increase in coriander seed production. Table1. Area, production and productivity scenario of coriander in India. (Area in hectare, Production in metric tonnes, Productivity in kg/ha)
2007 08 Area Coriander 457605 Prodn. 286414 Prty. 626 Area 537327 2008 09 Prodn. 471515 Prty. 878 Area 530789 2009 10* Prodn. 501485 Prty. 945 2010 11 (advance estimate) Area 530860 Prodn. 482230 Prty. 908

*2009-10 (provisional), Prodn.= production, Prty.= productivity

Coriander is believed to be a native of Egypt, Turkey, and East Mediterranean region. As indicated in Fig.1 it is mainly grown in India, Morocco, Bulgaria, Romania, Canada, China and Syria. India has share of more than 80% of total world production of coriander seeds.

Morocco 5% Bulgaria 4% Romania 3% India 80% C anada 4% C hina 2% Syria 2%

Fig. 1. Major producer countries of coriander and its share in year 2008

In India, it is mainly cultivated in Rajasthan, some parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh as rabi crop. Rajasthan hold prime position and contribute more than 80% in total area and production (Table 2).
Table 2. Selected State-wise (2003-2004 to 2007-2008)
States Area (000 Hectare) 200304 Andhra Pradesh Bihar Chhattisgarh Haryana Karnataka Madhya Pradesh Meghalaya Orissa Rajasthan Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh India 49.00 2.20 4.00 1.70 7.80 125.10 0.10 19.00 241.40 27.70 5.50 483.50 200405 24.00 2.10 4.00 1.70 9.60 115.90 0.10 19.10 148.40 18.50 5.50 348.90 200506 28.00 2.30 3.90 1.70 9.20 112.80 0.10 19.10 136.70 21.10 5.50 340.40 200607 25.00 2.30 3.70 2.23 6.00 108.40 0.10 19.10 131.10 17.40 5.50 320.83 200708 24.00 2.20 3.60 2.18 6.00 94.70 0.10 19.10 212.84 13.30 6.00 384.22

Estimates

of

Area

and

Production

of

Coriander

in

India

Production (000 Tonne) 200304 16.00 1.50 1.20 2.20 1.20 47.00 0.30 9.00 300.10 8.10 3.20 389.80 200405 9.00 1.40 1.00 2.20 1.50 45.00 0.30 9.10 169.80 5.50 3.20 223.40 200506 13.00 1.70 0.10 2.90 1.40 42.00 0.30 9.00 142.40 6.40 3.20 223.40 200607 10.00 1.70 1.0 2.63 1.00 43.60 0.30 9.00 155.10 5.70 3.20 233.23 200708 10.00 1.60 1.00 2.90 1.0 30.20 0.30 9.00 245.40 5.10 3.00 309.60

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India.

Rajasthan state is the major producer of coriander seeds in India. In Rajasthan, the district wise data for last five years from 2006-07 to 2010-11 were analyzed for determination the area under coriander seed cultivation. The highest area for coriander production is reported in district Jhalawar (42%) followed by Baran (35%) and Kota (20%). The productivity is highest in Kota (1067 kg/ha) followed by Baran (980 kg/ha) and Chittorgarh (913 kg/ha). District wise area and production scenario is presented in table 3. 4

Table 3. District wise area/production of coriander in Rajasthan in last five years (2006-07 to 2010-11) District Area (hectares) Baran Bundi Chittorgarh Jhalawar Kota Others Rajasthan Baran Bundi Chittorgarh Jhalawar Kota Others Rajasthan 2006-07 42961 1390 1959 61963 22314 550 131137 54045 1549 2606 68159 28093 649 155101 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 77423 3271 2172 97940 50589 875 232270 100236 3641 1262 107542 67495 1059 281235 2010-11 59979 2223 3156 85795 45452 1447 198052 86179 2253 2054 69683 57307 1601 219077

82808 90683 1407 4267 2451 3203 85762 96940 39657 49135 876 970 212961 245198 Production (metric tones) 81152 110647 1147 3536 2238 3184 38593 92187 42314 63055 683 1084 166127 273693

Suitable Agro-climatic conditions: Coriander is well suited to growing on a range of soils, but it performs best on welldrained loam and fine textured soils. Suitable pH ranges are from 4.5 to 8.0, with an optimum of 6.3. It has an optimum growing temperature of 18 C. Hot, dry winds during flowering (anthesis) can lead to the dropping of flowers, resulting in substantial yield reduction. It has also been noted that volatile oil content increases during cool, moist summers. The use of honeybees as pollinators can improve coriander seed yield.

The coriander plant is well adapted to the tropical and sub-tropical climatic conditions. Coriander requires cool climate during growth stage and warm dry climate at maturity. It is observed that quality of the seed is superior and essential oil content is more when the crop is grown in cool climatic conditions. The crop matures in 110-140 days, hence under optimum conditions it requires 120-150 days LGP (Length of Growing Period). The production of coriander seeds is regulated by most limiting factor (s). The limitations (Table 4) considered for assessment of soils are climatic, topographic, wetness, salinity and alkalinity, soil fertility and physical limitation. The criteria (Table 4) of soil depth, slope, texture, erosion, available water content (AWC) and length of growing period (LGP) are very important for assessment of soils suitability.

Table 4. Soil site suitability criteria (crop requirement) for coriander

Characteristics Climate: LGP (days) Precipitation (mm) Mean temp. of growing cycle (0C) Topography: Slope (%): Irrigated Un-irrigated Erosion Coarse fragments (%) Wetness: Drainage Flooding S1, highly suitable 120-150 500-600 13-22 S2 moderately suitable 105-120 400-500 10-13 S3 Marginally suitable 105-120 300-400 05-10 N, Not suitable <105 <300 <5

<1 <3 Slight <15 Well drained No flooding

1-3 3-8 Moderate 15-35 Well drained No flooding

3-8 8-15 Severe 35-55 Moderately well drained <5 cm water for 2-3 days 25-50 Sandy 50-100 8.0-8.5 <0.4 10-20 2-4 5-10

>8 >15 Very severe >55 Permeable <5 cm water for 3-7 days <25 Massive clay, coarse sand <50 >8.5 <0.4 >20 >4 >10

Physical conditions of soils: Depth (cm) 50-75 Texture Loam, silt clay loam, clay loam, clay AWC (mm) >100 Fertility of soils: pH 6.5-7.5 O.C. (%) >0.6 CaCO3 (%) <10 Salinity: EC (dSm-1) <2 Alkalinity (ESP) <5

25-50 Fine sand 50-100 7.5-8.0 0.4-0.6 <10 2-4 <5

Physico-chemical properties of soils: Coriander can be cultivated in all most all type of soils but well drained loamy or fine textured soils suits well. The crop is also growing well in clay loam soils due to their higher AWC (available water content). Soils of Kota region of Rajasthan are vertic in properties with higher surface area, retain higher amount of available water and reserve the ample amount of essential plant nutrients which supports for higher productivity of coriander seeds. The scientist of National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Udaipur reported that soil quality and climatic suitability for coriander in Kota, Jhalawar, Baran and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan might be one of the reasons for involvement of coriander crop in cropping system. Fertile soils with adequate organic matter and sunshine, free from flooding/waterlogging conditions are best suited for its growth. The water requirement of the crop is higher; generally, 2-6 irrigations are required depending on type of soils and climate. First irrigation should be given within 30-35 days from the date of sowing, second after 50-60 days, third after 70-80 days, fourth after 90-100 days and fifth after 105-110 days and sixth after 115-125 days. In clay loam/clay soils of kota two irrigations are sufficient to produce good yield (AICRP, water management, Kota).

Soil fertility and coriander: The crop can be grown well in soils having pH in the range of 6.5 to 8.5. However, for higher productivity of the crop and quality seed production, it is suggested that pH should be in the range of 6.5-7.5 with more than 0.6 per cent organic carbon and less than 10 per cent calcium carbonate content. The essential plant nutrients should be applied through fertilizers and organic manures as per the prescription for agro-ecological/agro-climatic zones of India. Salinity and alkalinity for coriander: Plants can tolerate even moderate salinity. Coriander can be grown up to 6 EC (dSm-1) and 10 ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage). However, for ideal conditions soils should have EC and ESP less than 2 dSm-1 and 5, respectively. Export scenario of Coriander: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that India has become a major exporter of agricultural produce in the world. But now the time has come for a continuing long term export-import policy. India's agriculture exports increased from Rs.1.20 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs.1.87 lakh crore in 2011-12, registering a growth of more than 50 percent during the year. Our country export the coriander seeds to Malaysia, UAE, UK, Saudi Arabia, South Africa etc of Rs. 720 million in 2003-04 increased to Rs. 1102 million in year 2007-08. The demand of coriander seeds in International market is increasing in recent years and it is very remunerative to Indian farmers. Keeping this in view, a study was conducted on scope of coriander seeds production in south-east Rajasthan especially in four districts viz. Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota.

The production of coriander seeds is regulated by most limiting factor (s). A study was conducted on potency of South-east Rajasthan for coriander seed cultivation. The limitations considered for assessment of soil are climatic, topographic, wetness, salinity and alkalinity, soil fertility and physical limitation. The criteria of soil depth, slope, texture, erosion, available water content (AWC) and length of growing period (LGP) were used for final assessment of soil suitability. On the basis of above factors it was recorded that soils of Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota are most suitable for cultivation of coriander seeds.

Study area of four district of Rajasthan is 2435 thousand hectare. Out of this 49 per cent is net sown area. Considering the soil textural limitation 453 thousand hectare area is suitable for coriander cultivation whereas considering the soil slope limitation 1322 thousand hectare area is suitable for coriander cultivation in four districts of Rajasthan. On the basis of soil textural limitations Bundi occupied highest area (228 thousand ha) followed by Kota, Jhalawar and Baran on the basis of soil suitability assessment for coriander crop. In the present condition farmers of Bundi cultivate coriander only in two thousand hectare land whereas farmers of Baran cultivate more than 59 thousand hectare land. The study suggested that there is still lot of scope to acquire the area in Bundi and Kota district for coriander crop.
Five years scenario of coriander in Rajasthan
Area in ha & production in metric tonnes
300000 250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 year 2009-10 2010-11 Area Production

Fig. 2. Area and production of coriander seed in Rajasthan in last five years (2006-07 to 2010-11). Per hectare productivity has not gone below one metric tone except the year 2007-08. The data from year 2006-07 to 2010-11 indicated (Table 3 and Fig.2) that about 200 (+ 50) thousand hectare area is being kept under coriander seed cultivation out of this 99 per cent area is situated in south-east Rajasthan i.e. Baran, Bundi, Jhalawar and Kota. The study also indicated that coriander cultivation was initiated in Chittorgarh district in recent years and it spread about 2000 hectare area in year 2006-07 and crossed to 3000 hectare at present. Efforts should be made through state agricultural extension agencies, KVKs, SAUs and NRC on Seed Spices, Ajmer to bring about 400 (+ 50) thousand hectare area under coriander seed cultivation of south-east Rajasthan which is highly

suitable for coriander crop. With the existing productivity level of coriander seed in Rajasthan (1100kg/ha), these four districts can produce 440 thousand metric tones of coriander seeds. The present domestic consumption/demand of coriander seed in India is around 200 thousand metric tones. If rest, 240 thousand metric tones of the produce is exported than India can earn foreign money equivalent to Rs 12000 million considering the existing market price of Rs 50/- per kilogram.