How did the attraction of farmers in commercial turmeric farming suddenly increase?
By Rabindra Dhungel, 3 October 2020. Farmers of Nawalparasi ‘Bardaghat-Susta West’ have been reserved for Basar farming. Farmers have started cultivating turmeric commercially as the demand for turmeric has been increasing recently and there is a good income. Turmeric cultivation has been started in the district through individuals and cooperatives. Chairman of Sunwal Small Entrepreneur Savings and Loan Cooperative Nara Bahadur Khadka said that they have started commercial turmeric cultivation through cooperatives as the demand for pure turmeric is increasing. In Sunwal Municipality-1, the cooperative has started turmeric cultivation in the midst of the bandh. This is the first commercial turmeric cultivation in the district through cooperatives. He said that the cooperatives have started cultivating the spice industry with the objective of providing pure turmeric powder to the market. It is expected to provide employment to the farmers and motivate other shareholders to cultivate it.
Demand for pure turmeric is increasing as only turmeric is available in the market. “We have started turmeric cultivation project through cooperatives with the idea of cultivating turmeric in a large area, but due to lack of sufficient seeds and fields, we have now started cultivating turmeric in 12 blocks. We will continue to expand from next year,” said Chairman Khadka. Turmeric is estimated to be produced at the rate of three quintals per quintal annually. The company is ready to process the produced turmeric and send it to the market under its own brand. In order to control the middlemen and prevent adulteration, the organization has made a plan to sell the goods directly to the retailers in small quantities. Parshuram Kanwar Yogi, sub-committee coordinator of the turmeric farming project, informed that the industry has been established by the time the production is ready. He said, “We started the chaumin industry first, could not compete in the market due to small results, then we studied the option of running babio rope, tapari industry, but due to good income in turmeric, low investment, no market problem, We have increased it. ”
At present, processed turmeric is bought from farmers at Rs 200 per kg and sold at Rs 400 per kg, said Khadka. Cash and industrial crops are grown in light loamy, sandy soils where water is frozen. Cultivation done in April-May is ready by January-February. Farmers have said that large manpower is not required to cultivate it and irrigation is not required and irrigation is done with rain water. The attraction of farmers in turmeric cultivation has increased as they have better income and easier to cultivate than cereals. Most of the farmers in Gandak area including Pratappur and Sustal of West Nawalparasi have been cultivating turmeric for a long time. Uma Shankar Singh of Pratappur-5, who has been cultivating turmeric since his ancestors, says that many farmers in the area are cultivating turmeric as it is easy to cultivate and earn a decent income. He said that monkeys and nilgai used to destroy sugarcane but there was no such problem in turmeric. He has been producing 20 to 25 quintals of turmeric annually. He said that the main market for turmeric produced here is the nearby Indian market. Chief of Agriculture Knowledge Center Parasi Devesh Kumar Mishra says that turmeric cultivation is good in the district. He said that its cultivation has been increased especially in Pratappur, Sustal and other areas. According to the knowledge center, turmeric is cultivated in an area of about 20 hectares in the district.