Need breathing time to cope-up with stakeholders aspirations, says Turmeric Board Secretary
Series of consultation sessions are being organized to develop a five-year strategic roadmap for the Board
Hyderabad: The National Turmeric Board (NTB) in collaboration with a-IDEA-National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), organized a stakeholders and start-ups consultation meeting at NAARM in Hyderabad on Monday.
N. Bhavani Sri, Secretary, NTB, highlighted the Boards long-term vision of fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusivity across the turmeric sector in the country. She explained that the series of consultation sessions are being organized to develop a five-year strategic roadmap for the Board shaped by grassroots insights from farmers, start-ups, researchers, and industry leaders.
While the progression is on, NTB needs breathing time to cope-up with the aspirations and demands of the stake-holders, and pave a way to develop this commodity, she added.
In his presidential address, Dr Gopal Lal, president, a-IDEA and Acting Director, ICAR-NAARM, urged participants to collaborate, ideate, and propose actionable solutions to strengthen the turmeric value chain besides preventing post-harvest losses. He underlined the immense value that entrepreneurs can gain by engaging with seasoned innovators and sectoral experts.
Dr S. Senthil Vinayagam, CEO, a-IDEA and Head, Education Systems Management Division at ICAR-NAARM, acknowledged the enthusiastic participation and reiterated the institution’s commitment to support innovative ideas and translating them into impactful outcomes.
The consultation convened 136 stakeholders in a hybrid format, bringing together a diverse group that included 20 startups and entrepreneurs, scientists and academicians and other industry associations. Also present were SHGs, NGOs, exporters, incubators and accelerators, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and financial institutions, among others.
The interaction stressed on incorporating farmer feedback, enabling policy support, and providing incubation services to accelerate the adoption of innovations. The event marked a pivotal step towards creating a globally competitive, inclusive, and innovation-led turmeric sector in India.
The stakeholders identified both emerging and overlooked opportunities across the turmeric value chain - from cultivation to consumer delivery. Key suggestions would be documented by NTB for setting up an action roadmap.
NTB was urged to support the turmeric community by enhancing farmer income and improving value-added offerings for consumers. Deliberations also focused on curcumin content testing, smart processing techniques, product innovation, and digital platforms for traceability and scalability.