Erode growers seek MSP for turmeric

Turmeric growers in the Erode region have appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to fix a minimum support price (MSP) for the commodity.

Though recent good yield due to rains and favourable climate has led to an increase in the arrival of turmeric to the market, farmers are not happy as there is no standard pricing for the commodity at present.

"Even though the yield and arrivals are satisfactory, we are not getting a reasonable price for our produce. This year, the price is hovering around Rs 2,500 per quintal as against last year's Rs 3,500 a quintal.

Nearly 17,000 bags (each bag contains 75 kg) of turmeric make their way into the market, (an eight-fold increase as compared to the last year) of which more than 8,000-odd bags get sold.

"The cost of production is nearly Rs 30,000 a hectare and the return is Rs 45,000 a hectare. We operate on a margin of merely Rs 15,000 per year, which is not enough to maintain the growing expenditure," a source in the Erode Market Committee told Business Standard.

Moreover, many of the farmers in the region have shifted to sugarcane cultivation. The high returns expected from sugarcane crop, high investment required for turmeric cultivation and labour shortage are considered the main reasons for farmers shifting to sugarcane cultivation this year.

Hence, an MSP should be fixed for the commodity and the prices should be standardised, the source added.

As on April 10, the arrival of turmeric to the Erode Regulated Market stood at 53 tonnes with the finger variety being traded at Rs 2,339 per quintal and the root variety at Rs 2,179 per quintal.