Status Assessment of Spice Resources in Nigeria

Abstract

Spices and condiments are defined as “vegetable products or mixtures, free from extraneous matter, used for flavouring, seasoning or imparting aroma in foods”. They are used for flavour, colour, aroma and preservation of food or beverages and may be derived from many parts of the plant: bark, buds, flowers, fruits, leaves, rhizomes, roots, seeds, stigmas and styles or the entire plant tops. The most important spices traditionally traded throughout the world are products of tropical environments. In terms of world trade value, the important spice crops from the tropical regions are pepper, capsicums, nutmeg/mace, cardamom, allspice/pimento, vanilla, cloves, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and cassia. Coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, sage, oregano, thyme, bay and the mints are the most important spice crops from the non-tropical environment. Spices are popular among Nigerians, although most of the Nigerian spices grow in the wild. Spices are generally found in four agro ecological zones of the country namely: Forest (including mangrove and rainforest), Dried Savanna, Guinea Savanna and Sudan Savanna. The bulk of the spices identified in Nigeria are found in the Southern rainforest zone of the country, while others such as garlic and ginger are found predominantly in the dry Northern zone. This study was carried out to identify major spices indigenous to Nigeria, their level of domestication and utilization, processing methods and market potentials. The findings indicate that wild spices constitute about 48% of all the spices of local origin and they face threat of extinction because of human activities. The yield of the wild spices is unreliable, unpredictable, has low quality and therefore, does not presently encourage commercialization. Domesticated spices in Nigeria are cultivated mostly as mixed crops with most staple crops under rain-fed or irrigated conditions. The study identifies the challenges of developing Nigerian indigenous spices for the local and international markets to include lack of domestication and cultivation, influx of exotic spices into the country, destructive methods of harvesting, low quantity and quality of harvest, bush burning/deforestation, lack of appropriate processing technology and low level of investment in research and development. Strategies to achieve optimal exploitation and utilization of the spices were identified to include protection and maintenance of wild groves, domestication and cultivation of wild spices, establishment of research and market gardens, organizing spice farmers into cooperatives, establishment of processing clusters and marketing outlets.

Keywords: Spices, seasoning, indigenous, wild, domestication, utilization