Turmeric is the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa L., a herbaceous perennial belonging to the
family Zingiberaceae and a native of South Asia particularly India.The plant is propagated from rhizomes.The leaves are long, broad, lanceolate and bright green. The flowers are pale yellow
and borne on dense spikes.The pseudostems are shorter than leaves. The rhizomes are ready for
harvesting in about 7 to 9 months after planting.
It is used in diversified forms as a condiment, flavouring and colouring agent and as a principal ingredient in Indian culinary as curry powder. It has anti cancer and anti viral activities and hence finds use in the drug industry and cosmetic industry. ‘Kum-kum’, popular with every house wife, is also a by-product of turmeric.It finds a place in offerings on religious and ceremonial occasions.
A type of starch is also being extracted from a particular type of turmeric.The increasing demand for natural
products as food additives makes turmeric as ideal produce as a food colourant.
Turmeric is an very essential ingredients in indian cuisine,it has numerous health benefits and also considered very auspicious during our worship.We celebrate our weddings with a ‘Haldi ceremony’ ritual one day prior to the main Occasion.
With immense health benefits its a herb added to our daily meals and rituals.
Turmeric added in bolied milk will boost your immunity.Turmeric added in curries,veggies,rice or in some cases added to wheat flour while making parathas &puris.
Turmeric not only adds flavour but also used as a antibacterial for wounds,inflammation & small scars that we get doing household work.Turmeric (Curcuma longa L), the ancient and sacred spice of India known as ‘Indian saffron’ is an important commercial spice crop grown in India.
Turmeric is available in two seasons in India i.e.,February to May and August to October. The various varieties of turmeric that are traded in India are Allepey Finger ( Kerala), Erode
Turmeric (Tamil Nadu), Salem Turmeric (Tamil Nadu), Rajapore Turmeric (Maharashtra),Sangli Turmeric (Maharashtra),Nizamabad Bulb ( Andhra Pradesh) etc.The major trading
centers of turmeric are Nizamabad, Dugirala in Andhra Pradesn, Sangli in Maharshtra and Salem, Erode, Dharmapuri and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
In the world market Indian turmeric is considered the best because of its high curcumin content.During 2022-23, 1.534 lakh tonnes of turmeric and turmeric products valued at USD207. 45 million were exported by more than 380 exporters. The leading export markets for Indian turmeric are Bangladesh, UAE, USA, and Malaysia.
From India’s total turmeric exports, 65% exported to UAE, USA, Japan, Srilanka, UK, and Malaysia.The institutional sector in the West buys ground turmeric and oleoresins,while dry turmeric is preferred by the industrial sector.
Organic farming :Organic farming is a crop production method which encourages sustainable agriculture by
enhancing the biological cycles in nature.It is targeted at producing healthy, nutritive, pollution free food maximising the use of on farm resources and minimising the use of off-farm resources. It seeks to avoid the use of chemical nutrients and pesticides.
Organic turmeric production:
Climate and soil
Turmeric requires a warm and humid climate. It can be grown under irrigated conditions or in diverse tropical conditions from sea level to 1500mm above MSL within a temperature range of 20-30°C with a rainfall of 1500 mm or more per annum.Having natural drainage and irrigation facilities are best for turmeric,even if it thrives in different types of soil ranging from light black loam, red soils to clayey loams, rich loamy soils.Turmeric cannot stand alkalinity or water stagnation.
With other crops,Turmeric can be cultivated organically as an intercrop,provided that all the companion crops are also organically grown. In some areas,turmeric is grown as an intercrop with litchi,jack & mango,and on the west coast with arecanut & coconut.Mostly pigeon pea & castor and are planted on the borders and on irrigation channels to provide shade.
Land preparation
While preparing the land, minimum tillage operations may be adopted. Beds of 15 cm height,1 m width and of convenient length may be prepared giving at least 50 cm spacing between beds. In the case of the irrigated crop, ridges and furrows are prepared and the rhizomes are planted in shallow pits on the top of the ridges.Spacing generally adopted is 45-60 cm between the ridges
and 15-20 cm between the plants. Solarisation of beds is beneficial in checking the multiplication of pests and diseases causin organisms.The polythene sheets used for soil solarisation should be kept away safely after the work is completed.
Rotation & Bufferzone:Grown in rotation with all other crops like sugarcan,chilli, onion,garlic,vegetables,pulses,wheat,ragi and maize.It is cultivated as a subsidiary crop to ginger in some areas & in other areas with chilli and quick-growing vegetables.
Buffer zone
In order to cultivate turmeric organically a buffer zone of 25 to 50 feet shall be maintained if the
neighbouing farms are non-organic. The produce from this zone shall not be treated as organic.
Being an annual crop,turmeric requires a conversion period of two years.
Planting material
To begin with seed material
from high yielding local varieties may be used in the absence of organically produced seeds. Carefully preserved seed rhizomes free from pests and diseases which are collected from organically cultivated farms should be used for planting.
For sowing, both the mother – rhizomes and fingers are used. The fingers are cut into 4 – 5 cm long pieces, and the mother rhizomes are planted as such or split into two; each having at least one sound bud. The seed is sometimes sprouted under moist straw before sowing.
Varieties:-
There are two dominant types of turmeric found on the world market:
‘Madras’, and ‘Alleppey’, both named after the regions of production in India.
A number of cultivars are available in the country and are known mostly by the name of the locality where they are cultivated. The cultivated varieties show considerable variation in size and colour of the rhizomes and curcumin content.More than 5 per cent curcumin content and lemon yellow, orange or orange yellow coloured turmeric powder are preferred in the international market.
The orange-yellow flesh Alleppey turmeric is predominantly imported by the United States, where users prefer it as a spice and a food colorant. Alleppey turmeric contains about 3.5% to 5.5% volatile oils,& 4.0% to 7.0% curcumin.
In contrast, the Madras type contains only 2% of volatile oils and 2% of curcumin. The Madras turmeric is preferred by the British and Middle Eastern markets for its more intense, brighter and lighter yellow color.
The Patna variety is noted for its deep colour.Of the two types cultivated in Maharashtra,
‘Lokhandi’ has bright coloured hard rhizomes and the other has light-coloured soft rhizomes.
The popular commercial varieties in Andhra Pradesh are ‘Duggirala’ of Guntur and ‘Tekurpeta’ which has long, stout, smooth and hard fingers. ‘Kasturi Pasupa’ of the Godavari Delta, the ‘Armoor’ type of the Nizamabad area and the ‘Chaya Pasupa’ are the other important varieties of Andhra Pradesh.In Orissa important varieties cultivated are Roma,Suroma, Ranga and Rasmi.Lakadong variety of ginger is grown in Meghalaya and this variety is popular for high curcumin
content of 5 to 5.05%.
Planting:-
At the time of planting 25 g powdered neem cake mix well with soil is applied in each pit taken at a spacing of 20-25 cm within and between rows. Seed rhizomes may be put in shallow pits and covered with well rotten cattle manure or compost mixed with Trichoderma (10 gm compost inoculated with Tricoderma). A seed rate of 1000 kg rhizomes is required for planting one acre of land. As an intercrop in a fruit-garden seed rate may be as low as 125 – 200 kg per acre.
Turmeric can be planted during April-July with the receipt of pre monsoon showers.
Cultural practices:-
Mulching the beds with green leaves is an important practice beneficial to this crop when planting is done on raised beds.This helps to enhance germination of seed rhizomes, prevents wash off of soil due to heavy rains, adds organic matter to the soil and conserves moisture during the dry period.
A greater Care may be taken to include a mix of leguminous crops with leaves rich in phosphorus content,nitrogen content like Acalypha weed and potassium content like Calotropis as mulch.The first mulching is to be done at the time of planting with green leaves @ 4-5 tonnes per acre. It is to be repeated again @ 2 tonnes / acre at 50th day after planting. To enhance microbial activity & nutrient availability Cow dung slurry may be poured on the bed after each mulching.Weeding may be carried out depending on the intensity of weed growth.Such materials may be used for mulching.To drain off stagnant water,Proper drainage channels should be provided in the inter rows to give a way to stuck water.
Manuring:-
Turmeric needs heavy manuring. Application of well rotten cow dung or compost from own
farm @2-3 tonne /acre may be given as basal dose while planting rhizomes in the pits. In addition, application of neem cake @ 0.8 tonnes/ acre is also desirable.
Plant protection:-
The underlying approach for pest and disease management under organic production is based on
a range of preventive and other management strategies to minimize the incidence of pests and diseases.For managing the pest population Regular field surveillance,adoption of phyto sanitary measures combined with understanding the life cycles of both pest and its predators allowing decisions to be made regarding the need to intervene or prevent it from harming the crops.
Pests:-If necessary neem oil 0.5% may be sprayed at fortnightly intervals.
If shoot borer incidence is noticed,such shoots may be cut open and larve picked out and destroyed.
Diseases:-
No major disease is noticed in turmeric.Leaf spot and leaf blotch can be controlled by restricted use of Bordeaux mixture 1%.Application of Trichoderma at the time of planting can check the incidence of rhizome rot.
Harvesting and curing
The crop has to be harvested at the right maturity and is ready for harvesting in about 7 to 9 months after sowing depending upon the variety.The aromatic types mature in about 7 months,the intermediate types in about 8 months and the late types in about 9 months.
Usually the land is ploughed and the rhizomes are gathered by hand picking or the clumps are carefully lifted with a spade.Harvested rhizomes are cleaned of mud and other extraneous matter adhering to them.The average yield per acre is 8 -10 tonnes of green turmeric.
Fingers are separated from mother rhizomes.Mother rhizomes are usually kept as seed material.
The green turmeric is cured for obtaining dry turmeric.Curing involves boiling of rhizomes in fresh water and drying it in the sun.No chemical should be used for processing.
The cleaned rhizomes are boiled in copper or galvanized iron or earthen vessels,with water just enough to soak them.Boil till the fingers/mother rhizomes become soft.
The cooked turmeric is taken out
of the pan by lifting the troughs and draining the water into the pan itself.The same hot water in the pan can be used for boiling the next lot of raw turmeric which is already filled in the troughs.
Alternatively, rhizomes may also be cooked using baskets with perforated bottom and sides.The mother rhizomes and the fingers are cured separately.
The cooking of turmeric is to be done
within 2-3 days after harvest.
The cooked fingers/mother rhizomes are spread on bamboo mats or cement floor under the sun for drying.The rhizomes are spread in 5-7 cm thick layers for desirable colour of the dried
product.
During night time the material should be heaped or covered.It may take 10-15 days for the rhizomes to become completely dry.
Artificial drying using cross-flow hot air at a maximum temperature of 60°C is also found to give a satisfactory product.In the case of sliced turmeric,artificial drying has a clear advantage giving brighter coloured product than sun drying whichtends to suffer from surface bleaching.The recovery of dry product varies from 20-25% depending upon the variety and the location where the crop is grown.
Dried turmeric has a poor appearance and rough dull colour outside the surface with scales and root bits.Smoothening and polishing the outer surface by manual or mechanical rubbing improves the appearance.
Polishing :-Manual polishing consists of rubbing the dried turmeric fingers on a hard surface.The improved method is by using hand-operated barrel or drum mounted on a central axis, the sides of which are made of expanded metal mesh.
When the drum filled with turmeric is rotated,polishing is effected by abrasion of the surface against the mesh as well as by mutual rubbing against each other as they roll inside the drum.The turmeric is also polished in power-operated drums.The colour of the turmeric always attracts the buyers.In order to impart attractive yellow colour,
turmeric suspension in water is added to the polishing drum in the last 10 minutes.When the rhizomes are uniformly coated with suspension they may be dried in the sun.
Preservation of seed.
Rhizomes for seed are generally heaped under the shade of trees or in well-ventilated sheds and
covered with turmeric leaves. Sometimes, the heap is plastered over with earth mixed with cow
dung.The seed rhizomes can also be stored in pits with sawdust. The pits can be covered with
wooden planks with one or two holes for aeration.
Yield :-
The yield of pure crop varies from 8000 to 10000 kg per acre. Under exceptionally favourable
conditions, viz. abundant manuring and copious irrigation it may be as high as 12000 kg per
acre.
Spices Board supports production, processing, certification and marketing of organic spices.Assistance is provided for organic cultivation of turmeric in select states.Spices Board has also programmes to encourage production of Lakadong turmeric in the North Eastern States.Spices Board has been designated as one of the agencies empowered to accredit certification agencies.Spices Board is also implementing the scheme for Export Oriented Production,Plan where in assistance is being provided for promotion of organic turmeric under various programmes as indicate.
Cost of cultivation:The cost of cultivation for 1.0 acre organic turmeric cultivation is Rs 34800/- per acre.Per hectare cost of cultivation (cost-c) of turmeric was Rs. 309138.55.
Maharashtra:-Sangli is known as the turmeric city for its vast production of turmeric. In Maharashtra Sangli, Satara, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani are the major turmeric growing districts.It is one of the major crop in Sangli district.
Under these circumstances, Agricultural Market Intelligence Centre, PJTSAU experts found that Turmeric had a traded in price range between Rs. 10000 – 10300 per quintal during February 2024,with increase in price range from to 12,000 -13500 in next rotation crop.
Margin
The percentage of margin/down payment to cost of development prescribed is 5, 10 and 15% for small, medium and large farmers respectively. If farmers form a group of 10, each member will get a subsidy of Rs40,000 as working capital and the subsidy is up to Rs10 lakh for processing units. For Wardha and Yavatmal, the scheme identifies turmeric as the focus crop.However,turmeric is grown in only around 5,000 acre in both the districts.
The rest of the cost of development will be provided as bank loan as per guidelines.Financial Help from Govt.Schemes can be considered.
Conclusion
The net income from organic cultivation and curing of turmeric is Rs. 23900/-. The activity is technically feasible, financially viable and bankable.
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