West Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya witnessed the first-of-its-kind fly-off event to demonstrate the use of novel and innovative drone technology for carrying Lakadong turmeric produced by farmers from the hinterland.
Drones carrying large payloads for delivery, could serve as a model of solving the 1st mile connectivity problem in the hilly region.
Lakadong turmeric has been identified under The One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative of the Centre’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), as a product with excellent potential for growth and export for West Jaintia Hills.
The Lakadong Turmeric from West Jaintia Hills is one of the world’s finest turmeric varieties with the highest curcumin content of 7-9% (in comparison to 3% or less in other varieties), is fast becoming a game changer in the economy of the district. The State of Meghalaya has applied for a Geographical Indication tag for Lakadong turmeric.
Addressing the gathering at the event, DPIIT Additional Secretary Sumita Dawra said that inspite of the highest curcumin content and excellent potential for domestic sales and export, Lakadong turmeric faces severe market access issues due to the remoteness of the location, topography and terrain. Thus, buyers have to incur additional costs to transport the goods from the villages via local pick-up trucks till the major transporters’ loading point. Drones can solve this problem and tap this huge potential for marketing the high-quality turmeric.
India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric (APEDA, 2019). India exported US$ 236.5 million worth of turmeric in 2018 from US$ 182.53 million in 2017. Turmeric is a positive crop; it improves health and is not water guzzling.
