Women growing turmeric in Odisha’s Koraput district

Women growing turmeric in Odisha’s Koraput district appear to have found a foothold in a market that promises a perennial return for their organic crop.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2021

The turmeric grown in Laxmipur block of Koraput district is distinct as it contains curcumin between 5.5% and 6.66%.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is, a perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family. The plant’s underground stems or rhizomes have been used as spice, dye, medicine and religious maker since antiquity.

The spice’s colour comes mainly from curcumin, a bright yellow phenolic compound that has been in the news for its ostensible potential to fight cancer. As a result, the demand for turmeric with high curcumin content has risen.

Telangana followed by Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and odisha are largest producers in India.

‘Kandhamal Haldi’ (a variety of turmeric indigenous to southern Odisha) and Erode turmeric (grown in the entire Erode district of Tamil Nadu) have earned the GI tag.