Turmeric: Not in focus but it could be highly remunerative.

              “A farmer has sold five quintals of raw turmeric for rupees seven thousand five hundred with least investment in his homestead land, this is amazing”

            Everybody knows turmeric, the color and taste enhancer that is must for all culinary preparation.

            But, what do we know about this turmeric? Of course, many should not bother about turmeric and turmeric cultivation. However, farmers, associated in crop production or farming profession should have little more knowledge on this turmeric and how it could actually be made a part of their diversified farm activity.

            This is because turmeric is fetching good market price and demands in the market. This surge in demand and good market price of per kilogram turmeric is trending now.

            But there’s very less focus or no focus at all on this crop by many farmers. The tendency is; farmers grow turmeric in their homestead lands or in the land considered one of the un-productive for other prominent crops.

            This is happening because; nobody bothers to know its potentiality in today’s market condition. The main reason farmers or other rural person growing turmeric is basically to meet the family requirement.

            It is only when growers get surplus that they sell their turmeric to the market. This is how we consumer get raw turmeric in the market.

            There’s also another tendency; turmeric is grown in small plot of land as the objective of growing turmeric is only meeting the family requirement so is in the small scale. Very few farmers take turmeric cultivation in the large scale for earning good income.

            Therefore, it is now more or less a prominent homestead crop in Tripura. Farmers or whoever grows turmeric actually do not take care much or no care at all to this homestead crop. From first to last, there’s no special care for the turmeric crop, it comes on its own.

            Growers think of turmeric when the time of harvesting actually comes, other time; it is under the care of the nature. Harvesting? It is so simple; drying up of turmeric leaves indicates time of maturity. Nevertheless, production of turmeric with little or no care is quite satisfactory. The retail price of raw turmeric in the open market is rupees fifteen to twenty per kilo gram which is really quite high compare to last decades when it used to be sold in pittance.

            This actually clearly indicates a profitable avenue for farmers who otherwise are in search of profitable diversified activities. What is wrong if something extra is earned with little more extension of cultivation area and care to this turmeric?

                                                Agritangkol dated 01.09.2012