Bumper yield of turmeric brings sorrow for growers

Bumper yield of turmeric in Lalmonirhat district this year has made its growers unhappy as huge supply caused the price of the spice to make a nosedive. Photo shows farmers harvest turmeric from a field at Mogholhat village in Sadar upazila. Photo: STAR

Huge supply of turmeric due to its bumper yield in different areas of the district has caused a drastic price fall of the spice in local market, much to the frustration of farmers.
This season, farmers are selling one kg of raw turmeric for only Tk 8 to 9 while it was sold for Tk 25 to 30 last year. The growers, who had earlier eyed a good profit, are now anxious to get back their production cost.
Encouraged by bumper production and unexpected profit last year, Lalmonirhat farmers cultivated turmeric on 2,500 hectares of land this year against last year's 2,120 hectares of land, said district officials of Agriculture Extension Department (AED).
They cultivated turmeric on the abandoned land surrounding their homesteads and paddy field this year in the hope of making a good profit, but sharp fall in price has dashed their expectations.
Farmer Mozammel Haque, 50, of Durarkuti village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said, “As I earned a good profit last year, I cultivated turmeric on more land this year. I got bumper production, but the current market price of turmeric has frustrated me.”
Sahidar Rahman, 45, of Phulgachh village in the same upazila said, "We have to count a huge loss due to abnormal fall in turmeric price in the market. We are not getting even production cost by selling turmeric in the local markets.”
While visiting different markets in the district on Thursday and Friday, this correspondent saw farmers with their turmeric waiting long hours as sale has nosedived due to thin presence of buyers. They have to sell turmeric at low rate as they need money for boro farming.
Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila agriculture officer Mohammad Nuruzzaman said if farmers do not get fair price of turmeric they will lose interest to cultivate it.