Women are working together to plant, process, and package turmeric powder, as well as take it to the market and sell it.
What you should know
A women-led cooperative has opened a processing industry along with turmeric farming, connecting its 700 members to the enterprise in Chitwan.
They are involved in everything from planting, processing, packaging the crushed powder to taking it to the market and selling it.
On Sunday afternoon, women belonging to the Safal Social Entrepreneur Women's Cooperative of Bhateri Jugedi, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-29 gathered at Bakullahar Chowk in Ratnanagar. They had half-kilo packets of turmeric in their hands. They appealed to people to buy turmeric by telling the story of turmeric in hotels, restaurants, cafeterias and shopping malls in the area. Many also bought it.
Laxmi Lama of Kholaghari, Bharatpur-29, also reached there selling turmeric. She is a member of the market committee of Safal Cooperative. She herself has cultivated turmeric in the village. 'I earned 13,000 rupees by selling five quintals of turmeric grown in three pots,' said Laxmi.
Even though this income is modest, she has no longer had to keep the land fallow because the monkeys ate the crops. ‘We used to grow vegetables including beans here. But the monkeys would eat them and ruin the crops. We stopped growing them after the monkeys stopped feeding them.’ Lakshmi said. After hearing that even monkeys do not do anything to turmeric, she started farming.
The plants have grown better this year because they received advanced seeds and training compared to the previous year. ‘After receiving training this time, we learned how to store fertilizers and seeds. The farming is good. Now, when we dig in Falgun, we are sure to get a lot of harvest,’ said Lakshmi. Turmeric cultivation has also been expanded in Basantapur, Devghat Rural Municipality-5, Tanahun, across the Trishuli River, north of Jugedi.
Thakur Kumari Kafle of Devghat Basantapur has planted turmeric in seven kattas this time. ‘There is a forest nearby. Monkeys, wild boars, deer and deer used to come and destroy any other crops. After planting turmeric, these animals would not eat it,’ said Thakur Kumari. That is why turmeric cultivation is now flourishing in the entire Basantapur village. She said that turmeric was cultivated in 29 kattas across the village this year.
To motivate women in turmeric cultivation, the Women’s Group Coordination Committee has been forming cooperatives by including women who have reached the villages. The Women’s Group Coordination Committee has included four women’s cooperatives from Chitwan and one from Devghat, Tanahun in turmeric cultivation. Among them, there are more women from hilly and rural areas than urban areas.
Bhateri village is a hilly area of Chitwan. Similarly, the Tin Dobhan Social Entrepreneur Women's Cooperative, which includes women from Kalika Municipality-10 and 11, has also motivated its members to engage in turmeric farming.
Siddhi, a hilly area of Chitwan, is included in Kalika Municipality-10 and 11. Siddhi is home to the indigenous Chepang community of Chitwan. Women from Lagansheel in Kalika-8 and Chandibhanjyang Cooperative in Ichchakamana Rural Municipality-6, another hilly village, have also cultivated turmeric. Thakur Kumari is affiliated with Chakrabarti Cooperative in Devghat-5, Tanahun. '714 people affiliated with five cooperatives, four in Chitwan and one in Tanahun, run by women, are currently involved in turmeric farming,' said Sita Poudel, coordinator of the Women's Group Coordination Committee. Farmers have cultivated turmeric from a minimum of three to a maximum of six kattas. Some have planted up to 18 kattas in groups.
Turmeric has been cultivated in an area of about 25 bighas everywhere. Safal Cooperative has set up a turmeric processing industry in Bhateri. Raw turmeric is purchased from farmers for Rs 35 per kilogram. ‘Then, washing, making chana, drying, grinding and packaging are the work that takes place,’ said Bimala Tamang, manager of Safal Cooperative. Turmeric is produced under the ‘Chandra Surya’ brand from here.
Safal started the turmeric industry last year after a grant was provided by the supporting organization ‘Heifer’. ‘The turmeric produced from here goes not only to Chitwan but also to Pokhara and Kathmandu.’ People have bought the same turmeric twice after buying it once,' said Dilkumari Gurung, a member of the management of the Safal cooperative, 'We grow it organically by adding cow dung, cow dung, and fertilizer.'
Safal cooperative had purchased turmeric worth Rs. 1,468,425 last year. Till last Ashar, the cooperative's accountant Pooja Tamang said that turmeric worth Rs. 1,999,300 had been sold.
Safal has been producing and selling turmeric in packets weighing 200 grams and 500 grams.
Laxmi Lama of Khola Ghari, Bharatpur-29, said that farmers save half the amount when they grow turmeric and sell it. Last year, she earned Rs. 13,000 by selling the raw turmeric she planted in her field, which was half the cost of growing turmeric. Now, she expects to reduce the cost with experience.
Agricultural technician Lilaman Praja Chepang, who was deployed by the cooperative to assist farmers in turmeric cultivation, said that it is suitable to sow turmeric in the hilly areas in Falgun/Chaitra and in the Terai in Jestha. Turmeric is ready in seven to nine months after planting. ‘Women who used to make do with two to four kilos for their homes are now turning to commercial farming by growing three kilos. They are learning and doing well,’ said Lila.
