Sarada De Silva to address International Spice Conference and World Spice Congress

Sarada De Silva, emeritus and founder chairman of the Spice Council of Sri Lanka, has been invited by the organisers of the International Spice Conference to address on ‘Ceylon Cinnamon’ being held under the theme ‘Reboot and rebound – beyond the new normal’ from 19 to 22 January at ITC Grand Chola, Chennai, India.

The International Spice Conference is being held physically after three years and over 1,500 delegates in the spice industry from all over the world are due to attend. They will interact under the above theme to discuss future trends and conduct business.

During the conference there will be a meeting of the International Organisation of Spice Trading Associations (IOSTA) to map out the future strategy for better coordination and interaction amongst spice associations from around the world to meet the challenges. De Silva was one of the main actors instrumental in starting the IOSTA two decades ago and the Spice Council of Sri Lanka is a founder member.

De Silva, has been invited by the Spices Board of India to address the World Spice Congress on ‘Ceylon Spices’ being held from 16-19 February in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The 14th edition of World Spice Congress is being held physically after four years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

World Spice Congress is attended by over 1,500 spice industry value chain actors and policymakers from both the public and private sector from all over the world. They will develop key policy initiatives for the growth and sustainability of the world’s spice industry. De Silva is a doyen of the spice industry and a leading figure in the cinnamon industry; he counts on nearly 50 years of experience as a grower, producer, processor and exporter. His initiatives have led to obtaining Geographical Indications (GI) for Ceylon Cinnamon a first for Sri Lanka and establishment of the Cinnamon Training Academy to train all actors of the industry under international standards and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ). It is the only Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) accredited and approved to issue NVQ levels 3 & 4.