Farmer strikes it rich with turmeric

GURDASPUR: Breaking the traditional wheat and paddy crop cycle, a progressive farmer of Lehal village in Gurdaspur district has become an example for others to follow.

Chanchal Singh, who has earned a record Rs 3 lakh per acre from turmeric cultivation, told TOI that he started turmeric cultivation in his fiveacre land and got a yield of nearly 100 quintals per acre. “By making turmeric powder from raw tubers, I was able to earn around Rs 3 lakh per acre annually,” he said.

Chanchal, who has managed to veer away from the wheat-paddy cycle unlike most of the farmers of his area, is today reaping the rewards of his unconventional choice of crop that has a potential for huge returns without higher input costs.

He expressed appreciation for the horticulture department for providing him the knowhow, other assistance as well as subsidy to grow turmeric. “The department not only guided me till production but also helped me market my produce,” he said.

An agriculture expert, Satnam Singh, said majority of unconventional crops grown in Majha region of Punjab didn’t require higher quantities of pesticides, thus reducing the input cost.

“With years of patience of growers, the unconventional crops are gradually catching the fancy of other farmers. However, they are still skeptical about the lack of minimum support price (MSP) for such crops,” he said.

Herbalist A S Mahal said a lot of NRIs were keen to have a herbal route to health and they preferred locally-grown turmeric for their daily usage and for medicinal purpose. He said kitchen herbs, including turmeric, were not only important in cuisine but for their healing properties too.