- Recently Erode’s unique slender turmeric received a GI tag for its distinctive fragrance and colour.
- Erode’s turmeric is smaller and more slender when compared with other varieties, and it has a high curcumin content of around 3.9%.
- The loamy red and black soil of the Erode region is believed to be the reason behind the distinctive brilliant yellow colour, as well as its characteristic sweet taste and aroma.
- Due to these distinctive features erode turmeric is the preferred choice of commercial curry powder manufacturers in India and abroad.
Turmeric Production in India
- India is the world’s largest producer of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family.
- The plant’s underground stems or rhizomes have been used as spice, dye, medicine and religious maker since antiquity.
- Telangana is the largest grower of turmeric in the country (followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu).
- Turmeric is labour and water-intensive crop, so farmers grow it along with onions, tapioca and coconut or sugarcane.
- The spice’s colour comes mainly from curcumin, a bright yellow phenolic compound that has been in the news for its ostensible potential to fight cancer.
- As a result, the demand for turmeric with high curcumin content has risen from pharmaceutical companies.
