Centre sets up turmeric board, eyes $1-bn exports

Medicinal Value

♦ PM Modi on Tuesday announced setting up of board in TS

♦ Board will have a chairperson and members from AYUSH, agri, pharma depts, CommMin

♦ India has over 62% share in world turmeric trade

♦ 3.24 lakh hectares under turmeric cultivation

♦ In FY23, India exported 1.534 lakh tonne of turmeric and turmeric products worth $207.45 mn

♦ Turmeric Board coordinates with Spices Board and other govt agencies

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday set up National Turmeric Board with a view to promoting production of the herb having medicinal value and increase its exports to $1 billion or Rs8,400 crore by 2030. It’ll benefit over 20 States as more than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in India. The largest producing states of turmeric are Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

“With the focused activities of the board, it is expected that turmeric exports will reach $1 billion by 2030,” a Commerce Ministry statement said. According to the statement, the Centre on Wednesday notified the constitution of National Turmeric Board. The board will focus on development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products in the country, it added.

Briefing media about the issue, Union Minister Kishan Reddy said the decision fulfils the long-pending demand of farmers of Telangana. He said the board will not only help farmers of Telangana, but also of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Assam, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal.

He also said farmers in Telangana did not wear slippers or shoes for the past 15 years to press for their demand of setting up of a dedicated board for turmeric. “Our cadres have distributed slippers to the farmers of Telangana after this announcement,” he said.

The government has chalked out a plan to increase turmeric exports to Rs8,400 crore, or $1 billion, per annum (by 2030) from the existing Rs1,600 crore, said Union Minister Anurag Thakur, while briefing the media about the Union Cabinet decision in its meeting on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced setting up of the board on Tuesday at a function in Telangana and the Centre notified the proposal on Wednesday, he said.

The board will have a chairperson to be appointed by the central government. Its members will be from Ministry of AYUSH, Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Commerce and Industry of the Union Government, senior state government representatives from three states (on rotation basis), select national/state institutions involved in research, representatives of turmeric farmers and exporters. It will have a secretary to be appointed by Department of Commerce. India has more than 62 per cent share in world trade of turmeric. During 2022-23, 1.534 lakh tonne of turmeric and turmeric products valued at $207.45 million was exported by more than 380 exporters.

The leading export markets for Indian turmeric are Bangladesh, the UAE, the US and Malaysia. The board will provide leadership on turmeric related matters, augment the efforts, and facilitate greater coordination with Spices Board and other government agencies in development and growth of the turmeric sector.