Turmeric processing centre near Kannamangalam soon

Farmers will be spared the trouble of transporting the spice to Erode; NABARD sanctions ₹1.2 crore for project

Work in progress: A building under construction at the upcoming Turmeric Processing Centre cum Marketing Complex at Ammapalayam village near Kannamangalam.

Tiruvannamalai district is going to have its first turmeric processing centre and marketing complex soon at Ammapalayam village near Kannamangalam.

This can be a big relief to turmeric farmers of the district who rely on Erode for processing and marketing turmeric till now.

The West Arani block, where Ammapalayam is located, produces around 500 tonnes of turmeric in a year. The other blocks, including Polur, Arani, Chengam and Pudupalayam, collectively produce around 1,500 tonne, sources said. Though 956 hectares of land were under turmeric cultivation in the year 2012-13, it came down to 638 ha. the very next year and in the current year, there is a further drop in the area and it stood at 381 ha.

The drought situation in the district and fluctuation in the prices were major contributor for the drop in the production.

However, difficulty of transporting the produce to a distant market remained a major discouraging factor, farmers said. They had to transport the produce to Erode, a town located around 250 km from their place.

Not enough profit

The conventional post-harvest management practices such as drying, boiling and polishing prevalent among farmers could not produce good quality that would fetch them superior price.

To help farmers to get out of this situation, a combined turmeric processing centre and marketing complex has been sanctioned under NABARD- Rural Infrastructure Development Fund at a cost of ₹1.2 crore. The Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business is executing the project. Construction of a building is under way.

Loan, auction facility

The centre will have a turmeric steam boiler, drying yard, turmeric polisher, grader and a storage godown. Loan facility and auction facility will also be available.

Sources said that with the help of the facility, the quality of turmeric would be superior.Seasonal glut and resultant fall in prices could also be avoided, they said. It is expected that the facility would be ready by June this year.