India launches National Turmeric Board to boost exports to $1 billion by 2030

With turmeric exports expected to cross the $1-billion mark by 2030, the Union Government has opened the national Turmeric Board to develop and grow turmeric and turmeric products in the country. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal formally inaugurated the board’s office in Nizamabad in northern Telangana, one of the key turmeric hubs in the country.

Set up on the lines of the Tobacco Board, which has been regulating tobacco farming and trade in the country, the Turmeric Board will work with the Spice Board and other Government agencies to provide leadership on turmeric-related matters, augment the efforts, to develop and grow the turmeric sector.  

Inaugurating the Board virtually from New Delhi on Tuesday, 14 Jan ’25 Piyush Goyal said that the new Board would promote research and development of new turmeric products, and would look into the value addition of turmeric related products for marketing abroad. “The Board will also look into creating awareness on the essential and medical properties of turmeric, ways to increase its yield and boost logistics and supply chain to foster trade into newer markets,” he said.

India, the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric, grows turmeric in 3.05 lakh hectares and produces 10.74 lakh tonnes . This more than three-fourths of the global production of turmeric. More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in the country. Though it is grown in over 20 States, the key hubs are Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The demand for an exclusive board for turmeric has become a political issue in this part of the country, with farmers demanding the government to oversee the production and ensure remunerative prices for turmeric. The Union Government issued a notification last year, well ahead of the Lok Sabha elections budging pressure from local farmers. The turmeric farmers in the region were upset that the Government failed to honour its promise to set up the board.  

India exported 1.70 lakh tonnes of turmeric and turmeric products in 2022-23 as against 1.53 lakh tonnes in the previous year. This earned forex of $207.45 million for the country, with key export markets being Bangladesh, the UAE, the USA and Malaysia. The government is planning to breach the $1-biillion mark in exports by 2030. The board would focus on building capacities and skill development of turmeric growers to promote value addition in turmeric so that farmers get additional incomes. The notification said the board would promote quality and food safety standards so that the produce get a premium in the domestic and international markets.

The Government has appointed BJP leader Palle Ganga Reddy as the maiden Chairman of the board. The board would have members from the Ministry of AYUSH, Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Commerce and Industry, senior State Government representatives from the turmeric-growing States, select national/state institutions involved in research, and representatives of turmeric farmers and exporters. It would also have a bureaucrat as Secretary to take care of the board’s functioning.