NRI turned Turmeric farmer - Need help!

[kirankumar123]

Hi Guys,

Currently, I am living in London and working as Structural Engineer and returning to India in couple of months. I have already bought 18 acres of irrigated land in Shimoga, Karnataka. I want to become a farmer after wandering most of my life in the polluted concrete world! I am new to agriculture field want work hard in the fielsds myself.It would be grateful to you if you help me and thanks in advance.

I am interested in growing Turmeric in 7 acres approximately. I have done some search through the internet and could not find enough information. However, I manage to find some information about soil properties, climatic conditions, water requirements and quality requirements of seed rhizomes etc.
The queries are as below;

1.Preparation of land for sowing turmeric seed rhizomes for an irrigated land and what is the best time of the year for plantation?
2.What are the varieties of Turmeric? Which one is the best?
3.From where I can get Turmeric seed rhizomes? How much it cost me per acre?
4. Any tips for the preparation of rhizomes for best results?
5.What are the methods of plantation of seed rhizomes?
6.What are the methods of fertilization? Any suggestions in particular?
7.Any requirements of mulching?
8.What is the best mixed crop, if any?
9.Which type of irrigation is preferred, drip or sprinkler?
10.What are the methods of preventing diseases and fungus?
11.What are the harvesting methods?
12.What pre treatment I need to do for harvest before I take it market?
13.Which is the best market for selling Turmeric around Shimoga?
14.Do I need to take dry or raw turmeric to the market?
15.What is the approximate yield per acre I could get both dry and raw turmeric?
16.Prices shown on agricultural websites are these for raw turmeric or dry turmeric?
17.Which is the nearest Training Centre?

I do much appreciate if any one could answer to my above queries. I would expect answers from their experience other than the available literature in the internet like; . If any one answer the above questions to my satisfaction and I’ll buy a nice smart phone for you from UK.

Kind Regards,

Kiran
please contact..

 

[newfarmer1]

Here is the info i collected on this.

Turmeric is a tropical herb and can be grown on different types of soil under irrigated and rainfed conditions. Rich loamy soils having good drainage are ideal for the crop. It is a shade tolerant crop with shallow roots suitable for intercropping and also as a component crop in the homesteads where low to medium shade is available.

Preparation of land
Prepare the land to a fine tilth during February-March. On receipt of pre-monsoon showers in April, prepare beds of size 3 x 1.2 m with a spacing of 40 cm between beds.

Seed material
Whole or split mother rhizomes are used for planting. Select well developed, healthy and disease free rhizomes. Treat the rhizomes in any of the copper oxychloride fungicides and store in cool, dry place or in earthen pits plastered with mud and cowdung.

Varieties
The important varieties are Duggirala, Tekurpetta, Sugantham, Kodur, Armoor, Alleppey, Suvarna, Suguna, Sudarshana, Prabha, Prathibha, Kanthi, Sobha, Sona and Varna.

Season and method of planting
Plant during April with the receipt of pre-monsoon showers. Take small pits in the beds in rows with a spacing of 25 x 25 cm. Plant finger rhizomes flat with buds facing upwards and cover with soil or dry powdered cattle manure. The seed rate is about 2000-2500 kg per ha.

Manuring
Apply cattle manure or compost as basal dose at 40 t/ha at the time of land preparation or by spreading over the beds after planting. Apply N2O5:K2O @ 30:30:60 kg/ha. Full dose of P2O5 and half dose of K2O may be applied as basal; 2/3 dose of N may be applied at 30 days after planting; and 1/3 N and remaining K2O may be applied 60 days after planting.

Mulching
Mulch the crop immediately after planting with green leaves @ 15 t/ha. Repeat mulching after 50 days with the same quantity of green leaves.

Aftercultivation
Weed the crop thrice at 60, 120 and 150 days after planting, depending upon weed intensity. Earth up the crop after 60 days.

Intercropping
Chilly, maize and colocasia can be grown as intercrops.

Harvesting and curing
Time of harvest depends upon variety and usually extends from January to March. Harvest early varieties at 7-8 months, medium varieties at 8-9 months and long duration varieties at 9-10 months after planting.

Improved method of processing

Cleaning: Harvested turmeric rhizomes are cleaned off mud and other extraneous materials adhering to them and subjected to curing within 2-3 days after harvest so as to ensure the quality of the end product.

Boiling: Fingers and mother rhizomes will have to be boiled separately. Boiling is usually done in MS pans of suitable size. Cleaned rhizomes (approximately 50 kg) are taken in a perforated trough of size 0.9 m x 0.55 m x 0.4 m made of GI or MS sheet with extended handle. The trough containing the rhizomes is then immersed in MS pan (1 m x 0.62 m x 0.48 m) containing clean water sufficient to immerse the rhizomes. The whole mass is boiled till the rhizomes become soft. The correct stage of cooking can be judged by piercing a wooden needle through the rhizome. If the rhizomes are properly cooked, the needle will pass through the rhizome without resistance. The cooked rhizomes are taken out of the pan by lifting the trough and draining the solution into the pan.

Drying: The fingers are then dried in the sun by spreading them as a thin layer on bamboo mats or drying floor. Artificial drying at a maximum temperature of 65ºC gives a bright coloured product than that of sun drying especially for sliced turmeric.

Polishing

In order to smoothen the rough and hard outer surface of the boiled dried turmeric and also to improve its colour, it is subjected to polishing. There are two types of polishing, hand polishing and machine polishing.

Hand polishing: The method of hand polishing is simple, which consists of rubbing turmeric fingers on hard surface or trampling them under feet wrapped in gunny bags. The improved method is by using hand-operated barrel or drum mounted on a central axis, the sides of which are made of expanded metal mesh. When the drum filled with turmeric is rotated, polishing is effected by abrasion of the surface against the mesh as well as by mutual rubbing against each other as they roll inside the drum.


Machine polishing: This method consists of an octagonal or hexagonal wooden drum mounted on a central axis and rotated by power.

Colouring
Boiled, dried and half polished turmeric fingers (half polished turmeric is more suitable since colour does not stick to the rhizomes that have been polished fully to smooth finish) are taken in bamboo basket and shaken with turmeric powder. For coating 100 kg of half polished turmeric 200 g of turmeric powder is required. When fingers are uniformly coated with turmeric powder, they are dried in the sun.

Turmeric oleoresin
This is obtained by the solvent extraction of the ground spice with organic solvents like acetone, ethylene dichloride and ethanol for 4-5 hours. It is orange red in colour. Oleoresin yield ranges from 7.9 to 10.4 per cent. One kg of oleoresin replaces 8 kg of ground spice.

Plant protection
No major incidence of pest or disease is noticed in the crop. Shoot borers can be controlled by spraying 0.05% dimethoate or 0.025% quinalphos.

Leaf spot and leaf blotch can be controlled by spraying 1% Bordeaux mixture or 0.2% mancozeb. If symptoms of early wilt or rhizome rot appear, drench the soil with cheshunt compound or 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Kind regards
NewFarmer1 (USA NRI - with same vision & mission like you ;-)

 

[karpaka]

nri agriculturisy

brother,
i am informed that nri cannot invest in agriculture in india.
can you please advise; how this issue was overcome.
thanks and regards

 

[kirankumar123]

New farmer,

Thank you very much for you information and time.

 

[kirankumar123]

Brother Karpaka,

The first thing is NRI’s are Indian citizens who live abroad for more than 181 days a year in return to India they will be having same rights as other Indian Citizens. The people who has adopted different nation’s citizenship then they are called Person of Indian Origin (PIO), these PIO’s are definitely can’t buy any lands in India on their name. However, there is a special clause, if PIO’s want to buy lands in India, they have to seek permission form the RBI.

In my case though I am NRI still I am an Indian national. I belong to a farmer’s family and we got our own inherited lands. This land is in my dads name and on my return to India, down the line say after 5 years I could transfer to my name.

If you need any more information regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact me through personal message. My question was only to know how to cultivate Turmeric.

Regards,

Kiran
Please contact...

 

[kirankumar123]

Mr Nostradamus

Thanks for your reply, Could you email me your phone number so that I can contact you.

Regards,
Kiran
Please contact...

 

[rgudapat]

Why is it Turmeric? Any special reason why u decided/selected Turmeric to cultivate?

Thanks

 

[sivaprasad123]

Your choice to cultivate Turmeric is Advisable as there is much demand for the spice abroad .you should find foreign market also as indian variety is of high curuccumin containing

 

[narayanagadikai]

Dear Sir,
You may visit the following two sites. They cover all your queries.
NABARD's Model Bankable Projects
Ikisan - Suitable climate for turmeric cultivation
But my personal suggestion is that you must visit a couple of farms before jumping into this venture. More than the advantages, gather information regarding the problems, especially about the diseases, pests, infections, etc.
Like Ginger, Turmeric is also prone to fungal attack and if lucky we will get a bumper crop, else we lose entire investment. Wish you all the best.
If needed I will give some contacts around Shivamogga who are engaged in agriculture sincerely. I am in Sirsi about 145 K.M.s from Shivamoga.
Narayana Hegde

 

[maruthidairy]

Bio-digest cow dung slurry

cow dung bio slurry available-reg
________________________________________
Dear sir,

we have constructed new dairy farm and just started at around 200 kms away from bangalore with a facility to produce bio-digested cow dung slurry of around 50 metric tones per month. The despatch commitments can be given march 2011 onwards on regular basis. The interested parities/farmers to lift ex our farm with the suitable tanker facility can communicate and enrole with us

thanksa and regards,

kasturiraju.

Dear Sir,
You may visit the following two sites. They cover all your queries.
NABARD's Model Bankable Projects
Ikisan - Suitable climate for turmeric cultivation
But my personal suggestion is that you must visit a couple of farms before jumping into this venture. More than the advantages, gather information regarding the problems, especially about the diseases, pests, infections, etc.
Like Ginger, Turmeric is also prone to fungal attack and if lucky we will get a bumper crop, else we lose entire investment. Wish you all the best.
If needed I will give some contacts around Shivamogga who are engaged in agriculture sincerely. I am in Sirsi about 145 K.M.s from Shivamoga.
Narayana Hegde

 

[kirankumar123]

Thank you very much Mr. Hegde. It is really useful information you have provided. It does make sense that analysing the problems and risk factors first before we start any project. I have been trying to collect much information I could about diseases and other problems. It would be grateful if you could provide me contacts of the turmeric farmers.

Sincere thanks to every one who have replied to my query.

 

[vishwakarma]

i ve 6 years working experience in indian institute of spices research.now i ve developed NRI land near vellore and kodikanal.i ve planted turmeric in their field.if u r intrested to meet me pls PM
tx

Hello,

I will be interested in purchasing Organic Turmeric.

If you can undertake / promote Organic Turmeric farming on large scale, I can help you getting better rates and also purchasing the organic turmeric powder.

Currently I am helping farmers in Maharashtra to sale their organic turmeric powder at Rs 300/- per kg.

Regards

MRC

 

[lali2agriculture]

i am interested in starting floriculture business in bangalore can someone contact me

lalitha

 

[kirankumar123]

Guys,

Is there anyone who does contract farming for the Turmeric?

Regards,

Please contact..