Visakhapatnam: Lack of market for turmeric growers cause of concern

Visakhapatnam: With the doors of the shandies getting closed in Agency area following the nation-wide lockdown, turmeric farmers find it hard to sell their produce.

For most of them, weekly shandies appear to be the only platform to sell the produce.

But ever since the nation-wide lockdown came into effect, weekly open markets took a backseat.

Unable to preserve the rising stocks, turmeric growers find it tough to sail through the lockdown period.

Since there is no storage facility in place, sudden showers in the rural areas add to the turmeric growers' woes.

Farmers in over 350 villages located in Paderu, Hukumpeta, G. Madugula, Chintapalli, Gudem Kotha Veedhi, Pedabayalu, Munchingput mandals grow turmeric. Annually, close to 18,000 tonnes are produced by the turmeric growers cultivating the crop in 30,000 acres. More than 5,000 families depend on the turmeric cultivation.

As it takes not less than nine months to harvest the turmeric crop, March-April is said to be the ripe season for the turmeric growers to strike a deal.

However, the lockdown followed to contain the spread of the pandemic has left an impact on these farmers depending on the turmeric produce this year.

Notwithstanding the challenges experienced by the turmeric farmers due to novel coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown, they are left with no other choice but to store them in bulk quantities until they find a way to sell them off in the spot market. K Narasaiah, a turmeric grower, says, "We need to shell minimum Rs 1 lakh for an acre of turmeric crop. But with declining prices and no market to exhaust the stock, we have to undergo tremendous stress. And lockdown has only doubled our struggles further."

Lack of market is another major hurdle faced by turmeric growers. District secretariat member of CPI (M) K Govinda Rao says if Girijan Co-operative Corporation Limited procures the turmeric in bulk quantities from the farmers, the farmers will certainly benefit out of it. "Even if the weekly shandy is being facilitated by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) for the turmeric growers, no campaigning is done prior to such open markets. This will not yield any positive results for the farmers," he opines.

ITDA project officer D K Balaji has helped the farmers in the tribal areas to sell the wildly grown turmeric crop by arranging a shandy amid lockdown. "We want to extend support to turmeric growers, following precautionary measures, including social distancing in times of lockdown. Talks are on with the TRIFED, requesting them to extend their support to the turmeric producers annually," Balaji adds.