Rising nearly 60 per cent, total Indian exports of chilli reached 138,000 tonnes in 2004-05, up from 86,575 tonnes for the previous year, the ministry said this week.
This, despite the biggest product recall earlier this year in the UK's history, sparked off by the discovery of the banned red colour Sudan 1 in a batch of spices of Indian origin.
As such, figures for 2005-06 may well be less rosy.
But anxious to sustain the rise in exports and to avoid a repetition of the damaging events of February, the country's spice board has started conducting compulsory sampling of all chilli and chilli products deemed for export.
The board said they are now testing for Sudan I, II, III and IV, as well as the harmful aflatoxin, caused by certain moulds on food crops.
With effect from 10 March 2005, no consignment of chilli, chilli products or other food products containing chilli can be exported unless accompanied by a certificate issued from the spice board that certifies the consignment is Sudan I to IV, or aflatoxin free and fit for export.
While this latest move will certainly help to contain contamination in the food chain, questions have arisen as to why the spice board decision to test did not occur before.
Afterall, the European Commission first notified India as far back as June 2003 that consignments of hot chilli and hot chilli products imported into the EU for human consumption, should be accompanied by an analytical report demonstrating the consignment was free of Sudan I.
The EC has since expanded the scope of notification to cover Sudan II, Sudan III and Scarlet Red (Sudan IV).