Once a bustling turmeric powder processing unit in Dagana’s Gozhi Gewog now stands idle due to a lack of raw materials from farmers. Given the increasing demand for spice, a local man started the unit in 2018 with a Nu 1 M grant from the Loden Foundation. After the founder left for abroad, an employee living near the unit took over its management.
The Daga Adding Masala Unit’s machinery including slicers, grinders, dryers, powdering, and sealing equipment is fully functional.
However, due to a lack of turmeric supply, these machines have been idle for over a year now, serving no purpose.
“In the initial years, farmers supplied tonnes of raw turmeric and we had a difficult time processing it all into powder. Quite often, the turmeric started germinating before we could process it. Later we received turmeric that met the demand of around 1,000 kilogrammes for the Khengrig Namsum Cooperative.,” said D.B Sherpa, in charge of Daga Adding Masala.
In the past, the unit received raw materials from farmers in Tsendagang and Tsangkha Gewogs. However, the in-charge said that not a single farmer from these two gewogs has enquired about the turmeric market over a year.
“Farmers in the district have not asked about the processing of turmeric at the unit. I even visited Gangzur looking for turmeric. Someone offered me three sacks of turmeric. But such a small quantity isn’t enough to cover electricity bills or pay the labourers.”
With all the machinery functional and experienced labourers on hand, the unit is ready to resume turmeric powder production if farmers from the district and nearby areas supply raw materials.
However, the in-charge is worried that keeping the machines idle for long might cause them to become dysfunctional.
“We would have a demand for turmeric powder if we could resume production. However, farmers are now focusing on growing ginger because it fetches better prices. We used to pay 20-25 ngultrum per kilogramme for raw turmeric and sold the powder at Nu 500-700 per kilogramme. I feel that one reason farmers might not be growing turmeric is the low price of raw turmeric.”
The district agriculture officer told BBS that farmers are now growing turmeric only on a small scale. The officer added that there was once a disagreement over turmeric prices between the processing unit and growers, which might have discouraged large-scale cultivation.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers confirmed that the low price has discouraged farmers from growing turmeric on a large scale.
Pema Tshewang, Dagana
Edited by Sonam Pem
