Production and Marketing Practices of Turmeric in India

Indian Economy is as diverse as it is large, with a number of major sectors including manufacturing industries, agriculture, textiles and handicrafts, and services. Agriculture is a major component of the Indian economy, More than 75 per cent of our people have their live hood as agriculture and agriculture oriented works like agro-based industries. The salient feature of marketing of turmeric in Tamil Nadu is that the sale of turmeric produce is performed only through the market intermediaries and there is no direct sale taking place. In the present study, an extensive use of both the primary and secondary data was made. Separate well-structured schedules were administered to farmers to collect the primary data. The sample of 500 turmeric growing farmers undertaken from five districts using stratified random sampling method. This study has clearly identified the recent trends in production and marketing of turmeric in Tamil Nadu. During this study it is found that the turmeric cultivation and production have been fluctuating. The farmers have not adopted the new methods and the best practices, but have followed the traditional method of cultivation.