The severe drought conditions prevailing in the district has hit the turmeric cultivation in Thammampatti block.
A large number of farmers have raised turmeric crops in the villages surrounding Thammampatti. Due to the continuous failure of monsoon, the farmers could not water the turmeric plants affecting its normal growth.
The farmers took advantage of the recent rainfall experienced by Thammampatti area for digging the fields and retrieving the turmeric. According to K. Murugesan, a farmer, the root which is of round shape is known as ‘urundai manjal’ and the turmeric which has branches is known as ‘virali manjal’ variety. There is also another variety called ‘panangali’ which fetches good price in the market.
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Due to the drought conditions, there is steep fall in turmeric production. However, the price of turmeric has not gone up as farmers and the marketing agents have adequate stock of turmeric in their godowns, he says.
The production of turmeric is expected to be only 50 per cent compared to last year’s crop. The farmers are expecting a price between ₹10,000 and ₹ 12,000 a tonne of turmeric.