India is known for its spices. Climate change is killing its flavours

The harsh truth is that Indian food, one of the most celebrated and adored cuisines around the world, is at risk. And only time will tell whether India's indigenous flavour bombs can prevail against climate change.

In Short

• India is world's spice capital, producing over 50 varieties
• India exported spices worth $4.45 billion in FY25
• Long-term risks to Indian cuisine and global spice markets

India is the spice capital of the world, and it has held that stature for centuries. Every day, millions of kitchens experience the variety of aromas and tastes that India's many indigenous spices bring to the table.

From the tiny cloves and cumin that temper the dal to the cardamom crushed into a cup of chai, from the turmeric that colours every curry to the chilli that defines Indian cooking at its most essential, India's food is inseparable from its spices.

But the farms that grow these flavours are under severe and growing climate stress, and the consequences will eventually reach every Indian kitchen as well as the wallets of millions.

HOW BIG IS INDIA'S SPICE INDUSTRY?

The scale of India's spice industry is big enough to not warrant regular thought or discussion about it.

India produces over 50 varieties of spices and exported spices worth USD 4.45 billion in FY24-25 to more than 150 countries.

Turmeric alone accounted for USD 987 million in exports. That sounds baffling, but it isn't considering India produces roughly 80% of the world’s turmeric supply.

But disaster has struck. Each of the country’s key spice belts, from the Western Ghats for pepper and cardamom, to the Deccan plateau for turmeric and chilli, to the dry plains of Rajasthan for cumin and coriander, is now being reshaped by a warming planet and its harmful impacts.

BLACK PEPPER AT RISK

Black pepper, considered the king of spices, is already in trouble.

India accounted for 11% of global black pepper production in 2024, with Karnataka contributing 60% and Kerala 30% to the total domestic production.

But research by the Indian Institute of Spices Research in Kerala's Kozhikode found that climate change is directly driving the falling yield.

In the case of pepper, the rising temperatures during flowering cause spike shedding, while erratic rainfall creates ideal conditions for Phytophthora foot rot, both of which prove fatal for the spice at the cusp of fruition.

Similar research on spice crops has confirmed that high temperatures cause peppers to shed spikes before fruiting, ending yield for entire seasons.

Vietnam and Sri Lanka are also recording declining harvests, and India may soon have to import pepper to meet domestic demand.

CHALLENGED FOR CARDAMOM

In Idukki, Kerala, where the state accounts for 70% of national cardamom production, the queen of spices is facing an existential crisis.

A 2024 study found that annual rainfall in the Indian Cardamom Hills declined by 13.62mm per year over 60 years, with rainy days falling by nearly 19.75 days over four decades, and temperatures rising. This combination was found to be directly correlated with falling yields.

The 2024 summer drought caused crop failures across 16,211 hectares of cardamom cultivation, too.

With yields falling due to erratic seasonal patterns, farmers are struggling to reap profits from a spice with relatively high production cost, and therefore turn to alternative crops. When that happens, the market cost of spices is impacted rather drastically.

In 2024 alone, prices swung between Rs 1,549 and Rs 3,116 per kg. This kind of variation makes farming spices less of an occupation and more of a gamble.

TURMERIC FACING IMPACTS TOO

Moving on from cardamom, there are other regularly-used spices at risk too, like turmeric or, as we call it in Indian households, haldi.

India cultivates approximately 1.1 million tonnes of haldi annually across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. But erratic weather is biting hard with unseasonal rain, dry spells, and flooding disrupting yields.

The extreme weather disrupted the 2024–25 harvest cycle, with yield reductions of 10–15% reported in Nanded and Telangana.

More concerning than the quantity is the quality of haldi, which is also impacted.

Untimely rains reduce curcumin concentration, which is the active compound that gives turmeric its health properties and culinary value. This also changes haldi's aroma and its bright yellow colour.

In 2024, the total haldi stocks had fallen from 1.2 million bags to just 5,00,000, with a further 15–20% production drop projected, pushing the prices for one of the most commonly used spices higher.

IS INDIAN CUISINE IN DANGER?

The harsh truth is that Indian food, one of the most celebrated and adored cuisines around the world, is at risk.

Maybe not at risk of disappearing, but with its very essential ingredients being altered, the cuisine might never taste like what we are used to. Like the delectable, spicy, aromatic, and soul-touching food made in countless kitchens every day.

When pepper tightens, masala blends and spice-heavy cooking become more expensive. When cardamom becomes scarce, chai, mithai, and biryani all feel the pinch. When turmeric harvests fail or lose curcumin potency, the nutritional value of India’s most ubiquitous spice is undermined.

While risks to spices remain, shade-based agroforestry, improved drainage, and other solutions are being explored by the Indian Institute of Spices Research, but adoption among India’s largely smallholder spice farming community remains slow.

Only time has the answer to questions about whether India's indigenous flavour bombs will prevail against climate change.

- Ends