With the introduction of a turmeric factory, the country will finally be able to process turmeric on a commercial basis, saving close to US$400,000 that is currently being spent annually on importation. In fact as early as next month, locally processed turmeric will be available in supermarkets across the country as the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) on Sunday commissioned its $18M turmeric factory at Hosororo, Region One.
The factory will see NAREI purchasing raw turmeric from farmers and processed it before selling it to the local market.
Once the institute would have fully satisfied the local market, it will be looking to export the processed turmeric by 2019, increasing the country’s foreign export earnings.Currently, there are 50 acres of turmeric being cultivated by 30 farmers in Region One but the acreage will have to be increased by 150 to satisfy the local demand.
NAREI’s head, Dr. Oudho Homenauth said the turmeric factory is one of the transformative projects that his agency is undertaking. “It means all the money will remain here for the development of the people in this region and the region in general.”
The facility has the capacity to process one tonne of turmeric every three to four days—this includes boiling and drying.
However, he said that NAREI will be looking to hasten the process. To achieve this he said that there will have to be a solar facility in place as early as January. This will see the factory working continuously, processing one tonne of turmeric every two days. Currently, the factory is being operated on diesel and wood.