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Harvest goal fails, smuggled turmeric crops up in Sathosa at Rs 1,800 a kilo
Turmeric stocks smuggled in from India are being sold at a lower price, the Agriculture Department said.
Illegal hauls seized this year from dinghies in the northern and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka are being sold at Sathosa outlets for Rs. 1,800 a kilogram.
The Department of Export Agriculture said that the decision to sell such stocks was taken by the Agriculture Ministry in view of the shortage.
The Government in December 2019 banned imports of turmeric, claiming to promote local growers.
As a result, turmeric which was sold at around Rs. 800 a kilogram, skyrocketed to Rs 6,000.
The scarcity also led to adulteration by traders and smugglers became more active.
The Department of Export Agriculture programme for a bumper harvest of turmeric last year failed. Only half of the local demand was met.
The country consumes around 7,000 metric tonnes of turmeric a year.
Last year, authorities refused to allow smuggled turmeric into the local market and incinerated millions of kilograms to the consternation of consumers who believed it could have been sold in the local market.
This year, the Agriculture Ministry has had a change of mind and decided to sell the spice in the local market.
Prices to drop
The Director General, A.P. Heenkanda, said prices could drop once the local crop is harvested in November and December, and when the cured spice is available in February and March next year.
The department expects a harvest of 60,000 metric tons of raw turmeric, which, when dried, will give around 8,000 metric tons.
Farmers in Kandy, Matale, Kurunegala, Ampara are growing turmeric.
And farmers in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Trincomalee, and Jaffna have also taken to growing the spice.
The department hopes to distribute seven million plants to farmers. Four million have already been distributed for the next planting season.
