Green cumin seed has a high export potential, but due to the lack of proper infrastructure, much of the export of this medicinal plant is done in its raw, bulk form from natural habitats.
Green cumin seed has a high export potential, but due to the lack of proper infrastructure, much of the export of this medicinal plant is done in its raw, bulk form from natural habitats.
While green cumin has great export potential, the lack of adequate infrastructure often leads to its export in a raw, bulk form, which not only causes environmental damage and the loss of genetic resources but also results in minimal added value. On the other hand, some of this medicinal plant, after processing and proper packaging, is imported back into the country at much higher prices and used domestically.
Challenges in the Production and Commercialization of Green Cumin:
• Lack of training for farmers by specialists in the proper cultivation, maintenance, and harvesting of green cumin.
• Absence of improved seed varieties (resistant to pests and climatic conditions).
• Lack of thorough research studies to identify the best methods for growing green cumin.
• Technical challenges in mechanizing the harvesting of cumin (which requires significant time and labor), manual threshing, and screening (leading to product loss, reduced quality, and ultimately high production costs).
• Lack of introduction and marketing for the production of green cumin to shorten the role of intermediaries and facilitate the export of the product.
• Absence of active trading marketplaces to ease product sales for farmers.
• Lack of capacity-building for industries to process this product.
Proposed Solutions for Addressing the Commercialization Challenges of Green Cumin:
• Training farmers to offer a model for green cumin cultivation and standardizing production methods.
• Providing farmers with improved seed varieties.
• Mechanizing the harvesting methods for cumin to reduce labor, ensure proper threshing, and ultimately improve product quality.
• Activating or establishing active trading marketplaces for green cumin.
• Empowering industries to process cumin and produce valuable derivatives from it.