Stress on need to bolster turmeric output, quality, exports

The importance of India maintaining leadership in turmeric exports and working to enhance the share with a sharpening of focus on facilitating measures and active collaboration among stakeholders was highlighted by speakers at the Turmeric Value Chain Summit 2025 CII Telangana organised here on Wednesday in collaboration with the National Turmeric Board.

Assuring Telangana government’s support to the Board, Agriculture and Cooperation Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said any intervention ought to have farmers at the centre. The benefits of the turmeric farmers need to be protected. Turmeric could be grown as intercrop in palm oil farming also, he told the gathering, while calling for measures to strengthen horticulture and vegetables farming. Turmeric reflects India’s culture and traditions. Separating turmeric from the Spices Board and setting up the National Turmeric Board in Telangana is a good initiative and expected to ensure further strengthening of turmeric crop production.

National Turmeric Board chairman Palle Ganga Reddy said turmeric is grown in 8 lakh acres in the country. In Telangana, around 48,000 acres are under turmeric cultivation. He called for steps to raise awareness on measures to enhance quality of the produce, especially by involving market committees in Nizamabad, Metpally and Mahabubabad that serve as major markets for turmeric.

Secretary to the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation K. Surendra Mohan said Telangana Vision 2047 has set farmers welfare as a priority and identified 12 focus points to achieve the goal, especially increasing the farmers’ incomes. Telangana accounts for 10% of global turmeric production or 1.12 lakh tonnes which is grown in around 45,000 acres by 40,160 farmers. Setting up of farmer producer organisations, value additions to support the exports and need to promote organic and natural farming techniques to improve the people’s health were underscored by the senior official, CII said in a release on the Summit.

National Turmeric Board Secretary N. Bhavani Sri said the quality of turmeric needs to be improved as per global standards. Though India is the largest exporter of turmeric with more than 70% of global market needs met by Indian farmers, the competition from Vietnam, Myanmar and some African countries is on the rise. She said there is a need to focus on measures to increase the curcumin content and decrease moisture level to below 10%. Continued interactions between food processing companies and farmers may go a long way in increasing the quality.

CII Telangana Chairman R.Sivaprasad Reddy, Vice Chancellor of Kaveri University and Adviser to CII Telangana Agri and Food Processing Panel V.Praveen Rao and Head – Strategic Sourcing, Agronomy and Sustainability of Synthite Industries Jayasankar M spoke.