The Golden Spice gets its due: National Turmeric Board launched
With turmeric exports expected to cross the $1-billion mark by 2030, the Union Government has opened the national Turmeric Board to develop and grow turmeric and turmeric products in the country.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal formally inaugurated the board’s office in Nizamabad in northern Telangana, one of the key turmeric hubs in the country.
Set up on the lines of the Tobacco Board, which has been regulating tobacco farming and trade in the country, the Turmeric Board will work with the Spice Board and other Government agencies to provide leadership on turmeric-related matters, augment the efforts, to develop and grow the turmeric sector.
India, the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric, grows turmeric in 3.24 lakh hectares and produces 11.61 lakh tonnes. This more than three-fourths of the global production of turmeric. More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in the country. Though it is grown in over 20 States, the key hubs are Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The demand for an exclusive board for turmeric has become a political issue in this part of the country, with farmers demanding the government to oversee the production and ensure remunerative prices for turmeric.
The Union Government issued a notification last year, well ahead of the Lok Sabha elections budging pressure from local farmers. The turmeric farmers in the region were upset that the Government failed to honour its promise to set up the board.
The board would promote research and development to develop new products and take cue from traditional knowledge of turmeric.
“There is significant potential and interest world over on the health and wellness benefits of turmeric, which the Board will leverage to increase awareness and consumption further, develop new markets internationally to increase exports,” a Commerce Ministry official said.
Exports
India exported 1.70 lakh tonnes of turmeric and turmeric products in 2022-23 as against 1.53 lakh tonnes in the previous year. This earned forex of $207.45 million for the country, with key export markets being Bangladesh, the UAE, the USA and Malaysia. The government is planning to breach the $1-biillion mark in exports by 2030.
The board would focus on building capacities and skill development of turmeric growers to promote value addition in turmeric so that farmers get additional incomes.
The notification said the board would promote quality and food safety standards so that the produce get a premium in the domestic and international markets.
The Board would be led by a Chairperson, who will be appointed by the Central Government. It would have members from the Ministry of AYUSH, Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Commerce and Industry, senior State Government representatives from the turmeric growing States, select national/state institutions involved in research, representatives of turmeric farmers and exporters. It would also have a bureacrat as Secretary to take care of the functioning of the board.