Chamarajanagar is the largest producer of turmeric in the State, and Karnataka stands third in the country’s entire turmeric production.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
With Chamarajanagar being one of the largest producers of turmeric, which is also known as ‘golden spice’, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, has been urged to include the district in the activities and programmes of the National Turmeric Board (NTB).
MP for Chamarajanagar Sunil Bose, met Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and urged him to bring the district in the activities of the Board, which has its headquarters in Nizamabad in Telangana.
Mr. Bose said Chamarajanagar is the largest producer of turmeric in the State, and Karnataka stands third in the country’s entire turmeric production. Turmeric is cultivated across 8,260 hectares, with a production of around 49,564.8 metric tonnes of gold spice every year.
With the district producing 4.2% of turmeric in the country and 38.3% in the State, the growers are in need of a proper marketplace for their produce. The district lacks a market, and there has been no facility for value addition of the produce, the MP said, in the memorandum to the Minister.
MP for Chamarajanagar Sunil Bose
| Photo Credit:
File Photo
Also, there are no facilities or technical support to farmers for increasing the crop yield and enhancing the overall production. There has been no guidance whatsoever for the farmers on the use of fertilisers, pesticides and other resources in the cultivation of the crop. Despite having no support, the district has remained one of the top producers of turmeric in the State, the MP explained.
He said if the district was brought under the activities of the board, then farmers would be benefitted, further increasing the crop production.
The National Turmeric Board was established with focus on the development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products in the country. It provides leadership on turmeric related matters, augment efforts, and facilitates greater coordination with the Spices Board and other government agencies in the development and growth of the turmeric sector, according to a note issued by PIB on the board sometime ago.
More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in India. It is grown in over 20 states in the country. The largest producing states of turmeric are Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it stated.
Published – March 25, 2025 08:18 pm IST
