Gondia's tribal farmers are mining gold by cultivating highly valuable turmeric


 Gondia, traditionally known as a rice city, here tribal population has modest landholdings and relies on the annual harvest for sustenance. But due to the low paddy prices, this crop isn't even producing Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 20,000 in income.

The tribal women had been cultivating turmeric for their family's consumption for years, but they were not aware of its true value. "The turmeric grown in the jungles of Gondia has a high percentage of curcumin, which is found in the crop from the Northeast," said Syed Shakir Ali, senior scientist and head of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Gondia.

KVK Gondia launched crop diversification to commercially farm turmeric six months ago in order to capitalize on the potential of this high-value commodity. Following that, tribal farmers from Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) recently sent their first shipment of two tonnes of turmeric powder to Dubai, earning them Rs. 2.80 lakh.

KVK invited exporters from Dubai and Pune so that turmeric from Gondia could be sold directly in Dubai. On June 23, 2023, KVK Gondia, MAVIM, and a private Pune company organized a one-day awareness programme-cum-workshop on Value chain management and turmeric export under the Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) of ATARI (Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute), Pune, at KVK Hiwara near Gondia, during a buyer-seller meet of Farmers Scientist Forum (FSF).

Five different groups of MAVIM and farmer producer companies (FPCs) comprised of around 15 farmers had shipped two tonnes of turmeric. "The cheque was very well received by the women farmers, FPCs, SHGs, and FSF members." Despite the fact that the corporation had requested 20 tonnes. "We collected two tonnes of turmeric from various farmers and ground it into powder before exporting," Ali explained.

The program was attended by 125 farmers, farm women, MAVIM women, entrepreneurs, SHGs women, members of FSF and Farmer Producer's Companies (FPCs), officers, and all KVK employees.

"The tribal farmers own only one or two acres of land." One of them produced one tonne of turmeric on his own.

"Because paddy is not providing them with enough profits, KVK is attempting to bring new crops to the region in order to increase their income," he explained.

Farmers have been sowing paddy in both the summer and Kharif seasons, according to Ali. "In the summer, there is insufficient water, but they are cultivating rice." "The KVK proposes that they grow paddy during Kharif and use the land available during the six months of rabi and summer for alternate and economically viable crops," the KVK chief stated.

KVK would assist farmers in developing a value chain for these crops. "The value chain is critical for increasing profits from agriculture and related enterprises." "We have focused on crop processing, packing, branding, and marketing," Ali explained.

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