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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

International Spice Group to Meet in Colombo

23 September 1996

Spice producers, importers/exporters and trade officials from some 20 countries will begin a four-day meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka, today to consider the future direction of the International Spice Group (ISG) and to discuss key issues of importance to the spice industry.

The ISG, which is currently an informal arrangement of spice producers and consumers, may be upgraded to the status of an international commodity body if an agreement is ratified by 10 countries, of which three must be spice producing countries and three must be spice consuming countries. The change in status would mean that the Group could access funds from the Common Fund for Commodities for spice research, promotion and development, and could initiate projects that would benefit the spice trade as a whole.

The meeting is being hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka and has been arranged by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO in Geneva. In addition to deciding on the future of the ISG, delegates will also discuss key issues of importance to the industry, including such things as the use of biotechnology for growing spices, the implementation of International Standards (e.g. ISO 9000), the use of spices in healthcare by rural communities and increasing the export effectiveness of enterprises involved in the spice trade.

Among the 20 countries attending the meeting, nine are spice producing countries from the Commonwealth.

Note to Editors:
The first meeting of the International Spice Group was held in India in 1986. The second and third meetings were held in Singapore (1989) and Jamaica (1991), respectively.

Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
United Kingdom.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678


96/44 23 September 1996

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ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6385/6 Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081
Email: info@commonwealth.int