Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launches Mission “Golden Spice” for Meghalaya’s Lakadong Turmeric

The Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, together with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, today launched the “Mission Golden Spice – Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project”, a ₹175.45-crore convergence-led initiative for turmeric cultivation and value-chain development in the State of Meghalaya. The Mission is designed as a phased, five-year roadmap (2025–2030), to be implemented in two phases — Value Chain Strengthening (Phase 1) followed by Expansion & Scale-up (Phase 2) — for promotion of Meghalaya’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP), the GI-tagged Lakadong Turmeric.

Anchored by MDoNER and the North Eastern Council (NEC), the Mission builds upon convergence with schemes and interventions of the Ministries of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Food Processing Industries and Commerce, along with APEDA, the Spices Board, the National Turmeric Board, ICAR, MeitY, NABARD, SFAC and the Government of Meghalaya for establishing an integrated turmeric value-chain ecosystem in the State.

Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary, MDoNER, in her introductory remarks, elaborated on the implementation framework of the Mission and highlighted the need for a mission-mode approach to unlock the full economic potential of Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric. She underlined that despite its exceptionally high curcumin content (7–10%), distinctive aroma and strong nutraceutical potential, the income realised by smallholder growers remains limited due to inadequate processing facilities, insufficient infrastructure, weak market linkages and the lack of high-value addition. She noted that processed and export-grade products have the potential to command significantly higher prices in both domestic and international markets.

The Secretary further highlighted that the Mission seeks to systematically address the major structural gaps in the sector including post-harvest losses, lack of integrated cold chain infrastructure, absence of commercial-scale processing facilities, weak branding, and lack of structured GI monetisation and buyer linkage systems.

As part of the launch programme, a short film on the Golden Spice Mission was screened, followed by interactions with progressive turmeric farmers from Meghalaya and remarks by investors and industry representatives.

Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister, MDoNER, said the launch was part of Prime Minister Modi’s vision for “Ashtalakshmi” — India’s eight northeastern states — which he described as having moved from the periphery to the centre of India’s developmental paradigm over the past twelve years. He said the Ministry had worked with the Chief Ministers of all 8 NE states to define a unique selling proposition (USP) for each state, and to promote each USP “bottom up as opposed to top down.” He noted that Lakadong turmeric’s curcumin content is nearly four times the world average, and highlighted extraordinary role of women in turmeric production and processing.

Recalling that the Prime Minister had recently showcased Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric at the G7 Summit, Shri Scindia said the spice had generated strong interest among world leaders, and called on the Mission’s stakeholders to ensure the crop’s quality, authenticity, scale and sustainability help it fly high on the global stage. He said the Mission’s objective was to nearly double farmers’ remuneration — from ₹30–40 a kilo today to close to ₹80 a kilo by 2030 — while expanding the area under cultivation from around 2,500 hectares to nearly 7,500 hectares.

He further stated that promotion of Lakadong Turmeric as USP of Meghalaya reflects the comparative and competitive advantage of the state and is rooted in its tradition and agro-climatic conditions.

The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, said the Mission built on years of institutional groundwork laid by the state government, officials and farmers, and reflected the Union Government’s “mission mode” approach of identifying one unique product from each North Eastern state and building a complete, replicable model around it. He recalled that attempts to cultivate Lakadong turmeric saplings outside Meghalaya had consistently led to a decline in curcumin content, underlining that “there is something magical about Meghalaya’s soil” that makes the region’s turmeric unique. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his sustained attention to the northeast and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to working with the Union Government to replicate the model for other Meghalaya products such as pineapple, ginger, jackfruit, honey and mushrooms.

Shri Timothy D. Shira, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, said Lakadong turmeric was “much more than a crop” — a symbol of the state’s indigenous knowledge, culture and agricultural heritage. He noted that for years, farmers had sold the produce largely raw and semi-processed, limiting rural incomes, and said Mission Golden Spice was designed to change that by expanding cultivation, establishing the northeast’s largest integrated organic turmeric processing and curcumin extraction facility, and placing women — the “true custodians” of the value chain — at the centre of the Mission’s farmer institutions and enterprises.

During the launch, interactions were held with farmers from the East and West Jaintia Hills. They highlighted that Lakadong Turmeric is not just another spice but a premium organic product, and that Mission Golden Spice will not only help grow turmeric but also create new opportunities for farmers.

The launch event was also attended by Dr. Emmanuel Kumar, industry representative and natural products expert, senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the North Eastern Council (NEC), APEDA and the Government of Meghalaya, along with farmer producer organisation leaders, industry partners and thousands of turmeric farmers who joined the launch virtually from the Jaintia Hills.