The Agriculture Minister of Meghalaya, Banteidor Lyngdoh said that for the first time, high value Lakadong turmeric and Ginger powder were transported to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
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The variety of Lakadong turmeric originates from the area of Lakadong, of the West Jaintia Hills district. It is considered to be one of the best varieties of turmeric in the whole world and that too with a curcumin content of about 6.8% to 7.5%.
The high-quality ginger powder is acquired from villages in the Ri-Bhoi districts.
Banteidor said about 150 kg of Lakadong turmeric and around 150 kg ginger powder were transported to the Netherlands and about 210 kg of Lakadong turmeric & 5 kg of ginger powder are leap for the United Kingdom.
He also said that the export of Lakadong turmeric & Ginger powder is a part of trial and the process assisted directly by the state government following a demand among consumers in these two countries of the United Kingdom and Netherlands.
The minister said that export of the produce , sourced from the women’s self help groups in these two districts, would have started in the year 2020 but, it could not be done because of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Meghalaya produced around 16,383 mt of turmeric in the year 2016 & 2017.
One of the senior agriculture officer said over 50 percentage of the turmeric was grown in the West Jaintia Hills districts and villages such as Lakadong, Shangpung, Sumer, Iooksi, Khoushnong and Nongtyngkoh are known for the turmeric cultivation.
