Telangana Turmeric farmers plan stir before peak market season

Nizamabad: As the peak marketing season is approaching, turmeric farmers would intensify their agitation for remunerative price for their produce. Farmers of Nizamabad, Jagitial and Nirmal districts will unitedly fight for better price for turmeric this season.

A meeting will be held in Armoor on January 8 to press the demand, their leaders said.

Turmeric is cultivated on a huge scale in north Telangana districts and the region caters to the needs of national and international markets. The price of the produce is now around Rs 6,000 per quintal. Farmers say the cultivation, thus, is not profitable.

Farmers said turmeric will reach Nizamabad agriculture market yard soon. This is one of the biggest markets in the country for turmeric sales.

Other than the BJP and TRS, political parties have in general extended their support to turmeric farmers. Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind said he is ready for a debate on having a turmeric board set up in Armoor. “I initiated steps for the setting up of a regional spices board centre in Nizamabad, which is greater than the turmeric board,” he said.

“I promised to get a turmeric board centre for the region in the last Parliament elections, but the regional spices board in Nizamabad would benefit turmeric farmers more than that,” he explained at the Bodhan public meeting.

BJP national general secretary and Telangana state in-charge Tarun Chug also promised that the central government would give assistance to turmeric farmers if the Telangana government offered a market intervention price of Rs 10,000 per quintal of turmeric. Farmers are waiting for the decision of state government.