In a major boost to India’s turmeric farming sector, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated the headquarters of the National Turmeric Board in Nizamabad, Telangana.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, and other senior dignitaries.
Addressing the gathering, Shah highlighted that the creation of the Board fulfills a 40-year-old demand of turmeric farmers, particularly in Telangana. The initiative, he said, was a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023 and now stands fulfilled. Nizamabad, widely recognized as the “turmeric capital” of India, will now have the infrastructure to take its produce to global markets within the next few years.
“The Board will eliminate the role of middlemen and put in place an integrated framework for turmeric packaging, branding, marketing, and export,” Shah said. He also underscored the medicinal value of turmeric, referring to it as a “wonder drug” with anti-viral, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties that are gaining international recognition.
The Centre has set a target to scale turmeric exports to $1 billion by 2030, with all required preparations already underway. The National Turmeric Board will spearhead efforts to ensure maximum value returns to farmers, promote GI-tagged organic turmeric, and facilitate training and capacity-building programs. The Board will also guide compliance with global standards for quality and safety and support research and development to further explore turmeric’s therapeutic benefits.
Shah revealed that turmeric prices in 2025 reached ₹18,000–₹19,000 per quintal, and the government is working to push that figure up by ₹6,000–₹7,000 over the next three years. He noted that turmeric was cultivated on over 3 lakh hectares across the country in 2023–24, yielding 10.74 lakh tonnes.
Key turmeric-growing districts in Telangana—Nizamabad, Jagtial, Nirmal, and Kamareddy—are expected to gain significantly from this institutional support. Shah also pointed to the establishment of the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) and the National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) by the Modi government to promote farmers engaged in both exports and organic farming.
