Hyderabad: Telangana Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Thursday directed officials to explore the potential of growing turmeric as an intercrop in oil palm plantations. He made the suggestion during a meeting with Turmeric Board secretary Bhavani at the state secretariat.
The minister emphasised the need to promote high-curcumin turmeric varieties and reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides to improve market access. He asked the board to strengthen marketing linkages, particularly for the pharmaceutical and Ayurvedic sectors, where turmeric demand is high.
He assured the board of full cooperation from the state government.
Secretary Bhavani briefed the minister on the board’s activities over the last six months. She said the board has been supplying farmers with post-harvest machinery like boilers, polishers, and grinders. Farmers’ producer organisations (FPOs) involved in turmeric cultivation are receiving subsidies of up to ₹23 lakh for this equipment.
She also said the board is helping farmers adopt IPM techniques and obtain organic certification. Major companies such as ITC and Patanjali are currently sourcing turmeric powder from Telangana.
Bhavani added that a leading exporter supplying to Middle Eastern and East Asian markets has expressed interest in setting up a processing unit on 10 acres in Nizamabad.
