India’s Meghalaya’s high-quality turmeric, ginger exported to UK, Netherlands

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Touching a big milestone, India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya’s high-quality turmeric and ginger powder are landing in United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The Lakadong variety of turmeric originates from the Lakadong area of the West Jaintia Hills district. It is considered one of the best varieties of turmeric in the world with a curcumin content of about 6.8 to 7.5 per cent, said Meghalaya’s Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh as quoted by the Press Trust of India.
The high-quality ginger powder is sourced from villages in the Ri-Bhoi district, he said.

“About 150 kg of Lakadong turmeric and another 150 kg of ginger powder were shipped to the Netherlands. Another 210 kg of Lakadong turmeric and 5 kg of ginger powder are bound for the UK,” Mr Banteidor told PTI.

He said the export is part of a trial and the process was assisted by the state government, following a demand among consumers in these two countries.

Five years after Meghalaya set up Mission Lakadong, the local turmeric has set the district abuzz with economic activity, trade, and transforming farming and making it export-ready, reported The Print.
The state’s biggest competitors are Telangana and Maharashtra.

Several other states eclipse Meghalaya when it comes to the quantity of turmeric produced, but when the scales of quality are put out, the numbers flip. Three varieties of turmeric are grown in the West Jaintia Hill district – Lachein, Lasyein and Lakadong. While the first two varieties yield only four to five per cent curcumin, Lakadong boasts an average of seven per cent curcumin content. And the number is only native to this tiny district, which is bordered by Bangladesh in the south and Assam in the north. All attempts at growing the same turmeric elsewhere resulted in a sharp fall in curcumin level.

The export of the produce, sourced from women’s selfhelp groups in these two districts, would have started last year but it could not be done because of the pandemic, the minister said.

Meghalaya produced 16,383 mt of turmeric in 2016-17, he said.

Over 50 per cent of the turmeric was grown in the West Jaintia Hills district. Villages such as Sumer, Lakadong, Shangpung, Iooksi, Nongtyngkoh and Khoushnong are known for turmeric cultivation, a senior agriculture officer said.

India is the world’s largest spice producer. It is also the largest consumer and exporter of spices. The production of different spices has been growing rapidly over the last few years. Production in 2021-22 stood at 10.87 million tonnes. During 2020-21, the export of spices reached an all-time high both in terms of value and volume by registering a growth of 17% in US$ value terms and 30% in volume terms, according to India Brand Equity Foundation.

During 2021-22, the single largest spice exported from India was chilli followed by spice oils and oleoresins, mint products, cumin and turmeric.

India produces about 75 of the 109 varieties which are listed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The most produced and exported spices are pepper, cardamom, chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, celery, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, nutmeg & mace, curry powder, spice oils and oleoresins. Out of these spices, chilli, cumin, turmeric, ginger and coriander makeup about 76 per cent of the total production.

The largest spices-producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

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