Need to protect Lakadong Turmeric ownership

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaFebruary 21, 2024

Agriculture Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh stated that there is a need to protect the ownership of Lakadong Turmeric and benefit the farmers for which the government has taken the best possible steps.

Replying to the Zero Hour motion moved by Voice of the People Party (VPP) MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit who raised the need to protect the ownership of Lakadong Turmeric during the Budget session on Tuesday, the minister highlighted the importance of Mission Lakadong launched by the state government to bring about positive changes in the value chain of Lakadong Turmeric.

She said that taking advantage of the default organic nature of the crop and its high curcumin content, a number of market players have been making inroads into the villages of Jaintia hills to source the Lakadong turmeric.

“However, this has led to a concerning trend of mislabelling and marketing the turmeric products from other regions and states as ‘Lakadong turmeric’. Therefore, to protect the authenticity of Lakadong turmeric from the Jaintia Hills region of the state, the application process for Geographical Indication (GI) tag was initiated in the year 2019,” she said.

The minister informed that after a series of hearings and clarifications, the Registrar of GI in Chennai officially awarded the GI tag no. 741 to Lakadong turmeric for East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills district on November 29, 2023. The application was made by Lakadong Turmeric Cooperative Union Limited, Jowai and facilitated by Directorate of Horticulture, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.

She said that the GI status accorded to Lakadong turmeric stands to safeguard traditional methods and knowledge, ensuring that only farmers and growers within the designated geographical area, utilising traditional methods, can use the GI tag.

Lyngdoh said, “It was reported that various buyers were engaged in the procurement of Lakadong Turmeric seeds for undertaking production in other States and further selling it as ‘Lakadong Turmeric’ which creates consumer confusion and tarnishes the image, quality, and unique characteristics of Lakadong Turmeric. Consequently, this can lead to brand dilution and significant financial losses for the Lakadong Turmeric farmers. Taking cognizance of this issue, a notification was issued by the department prohibiting the sale of Lakadong Turmeric seeds for production outside of the Jaintia Hills region.”

She added that all these interventions have successfully revitalized Lakadong Turmeric farming in the Jaintia Hills region with over 13 times increase in the number of farmers engaged in turmeric cultivation.

The Minister said that the Government of Meghalaya is committed to promoting and marketing the quality produces from the State and intends to continue pursuing Gl tags for various products. This will enable the State to bring out the unique offerings on the global stage while also increasing farmer incomes and stimulating the local economy.

Moving the Zero Hour motion, Basaiawmoit recalled having attended a village organization programme which is also an exhibition on January 19, where he met residents who expressed their concern to him on the declining sale of Lakadong turmeric.

“They told me, that the reason is because other people from other states have planted Lakadong turmeric by taking the rhizomes from here and sell the produce by using the name of Lakadong turmeric. So, this has diluted the quality of original Lakadong turmeric and since their soil cannot yield the same quality of turmeric, because soil is one of the most important factors that largely contributed to the quality of Lakadong turmeric,” he said.

He added that it has also created a confusion among the consumers to differentiate between the original Lakadong turmeric with the counterfeit Lakadong turmeric which uses the same name.

He urged the Minister to take up the matter seriously to protect the right of the original Lakadong turmeric growers.

“In case, the turmeric has not been patented, the government may perhaps facilitate the same so that no other than the original Lakadong growers can use the name of Lakadong turmeric,” Basaiawmoit said.