Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 15, 2017 News
Evon Webber has been planting turmeric for the past eight years at Barima, Region One. While it
has boosted her income, she said it was a time consuming process—one she considered quitting on many occasions.
But, with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) recently commissioning its turmeric factory at Hosororo, Webber said quitting is not an option anymore.
In fact, the mother of nine will now be looking to expand her turmeric farm.
“This factory is a blessing in disguise. It’s a wonderful thing NAREI is doing and a lot of farmers will benefit,” she said.
The $18M factory was commissioned last Sunday with the aim of processing turmeric on a commercial basis—this will result in the country saving close to US$400,000 annually, money that is being spent on importation.
NAREI will purchase the raw turmeric from farmers and process it to sell to the local market.
Webber plants turmeric and ginger in her garden. She explained that she would usually harvest the turmeric and boil it in large containers before sun-drying it.
“Finding wood to set the fire does be a problem and then you had to put it out in the sun to dry for days and if it rains, it does be trouble if the water catches it,” she said.
The end product, Webber said, she would sell for $100 per pound to customers in and around the region. Now she plans to take powder turmeric to Georgetown and sell on her own—something she always wanted to do.
“I will let NAREI process the turmeric and I gone sell to the market,” the small scale farmer said. She started turmeric farming in Barima and now has crops at Aruka Mouth, Region One.
The mother of nine, who has been planting turmeric for the past eight years, said that she got into the business when NAREI visited the region and distributed the raw materials. They also did training.
“I get the first project. They give me 80 pounds of turmeric and when I harvest I get 3000 pounds. I get more than the other famers in Waini and Kamaka,” Webber said while thanking NAREI for taking the project in that region.
NAREI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Oudho Homenauth, said that while the institute will be purchasing the raw materials from farmers to process and sell to commercial customers, they will be looking to process the turmeric for small scale farmers with a fee attached.
Dr. Homenauth said that 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 or four days—this includes boiling and drying but NAREI will be looking to hasten the process.
Recalling when NAREI first started the turmeric project, he said the institute started with a few kilogram of planting materials. “It (planting material) was difficult to import, because you don’t get them easily, but with dedication by the relevant staff of the institute, we were able to increase the planting material.”
Dr. Homenauth recounted that the materials were then donated to the farmers with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture through its capital programme, and within a few years, NAREI was able to “pump up” the planting materials.
According to NAREI’s boss, when the turmeric programme started, he and the staffers wanted to ensure they were on the right track and as such, samples of the dried and polished turmeric were tested both locally and internationally.
”We were very happy when the result came back; even the large companies that imported turmeric said the flavour, texture and colour matched those that were imported, and that was one of the reasons why we continued.”
By 2019, the agency will be looking to export turmeric once the local market is fully satisfied.
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