HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 16: A day after the launch of the National Turmeric Board, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and Amway India Enterprises Pvt Ltd, unveiled a comprehensive joint report titled “Making India the Global Hub for Turmeric” on Thursday, addressing the pressing challenges faced by turmeric farmers and offering a strategic roadmap to enhance India’s position in the global turmeric market.
An official statement said that, the ICRIER-Amway Report highlights that while the global turmeric market, valued at USD 58.2 million in 2020, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.1 per cent by 2028, Indian turmeric farmers face hurdles such as fluctuating prices, limited market access, and inadequate post-harvest infrastructure.
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“Despite India cultivating turmeric across 297,460 hectares with an expected production of 1,041,730 MT in 2023-24, there is a pressing need for targeted interventions to stabilise production and empower farmers”, the statement said.
“According to the findings, third-party certified organic helps farmers to get a better price, but it is costly, and there is no subsidy. Hence, the report recommends subsidy for third-party organic, streamlining regulatory bodies and signing mutual recognition agreements for regulatory cooperation that will help to promote exports”, it further said.
The report also pointed out that India is able to supply only 10 percent of global demand of high-curcumin (over 5 per cent) turmeric with lower Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs). Hence, R&D is needed to develop, high-curcumin variety and such varieties should be marketed in global platforms, it said, adding that with six GI products, GI discussions in trade agreements are important. “India has more than 30 varieties of turmeric and there is scope for more GI products. Focus should be to secure GI in products above 5 per cent curcumin,” the Report emphasised.
The Report, co-authored by Dr. Arpita Mukherjee, Dr. Souvik Dutta, Ms. Eshana Mukherjee, Ms. Ketaki Gaikwad, Ms Trishali Khanna, and Ms. Nandini Sen, highlights strategies to position India as the global leader in turmeric production, value addition, and exports, it stated.
