This couple earns Rs 8 lakh per acre from organic turmeric farming; products reach Germany, Australia, US

Anita and Sanjay Ghogare’s family cultivated ginger, sugarcane, animal fodder and some seasonal vegetables for many years in Loni village of Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar (now Ahilyanagar). The profitability was low and the family wanted to try a new crop.

“In 2008, my father-in-law brought a handful of turmeric rhizomes from a nearby village and planted them,” Anita tells 30Stades. 

Turmeric rhizomes, also known as turmeric roots, are the underground stems used to grow new plants. “We planted this turmeric of Salem variety along with ginger and harvested it after around ten months. The edible root differs from the rhizome used for plantation. “We separated the two and boiled the edible part,” says Anita. 

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The boiled root is polished and ground into powder. “The yield was about 1 kg, and we used it at home,” Anita says. 

Overcoming marketing challenges 

The next year, the yield was around 5 kg of powder, and the couple shared the samples with family and friends, who appreciated the quality due to the high curcumin content of 3.76 percent. Curcumin, the bright yellow chemical, makes turmeric anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and good for health.

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However, Sanjay and Anita faced a challenge in the third year with 25 to 30 kg of turmeric powder and no ready market or buyers. “High transportation costs made it financially unviable to transport it to Sangli and Satara markets. The local shopkeepers refused to buy from us, saying the haldi was polished by hand without a machine and lacked shine,” says Sanjay.

So the couple put a board outside their house about the availability of organic turmeric powder.

“At that time, nobody was processing turmeric to make haldi powder in Ahilyanagar. With that board, 25 kg was sold easily. Even today, we don't go to market and sell directly to customers across India,” says Anita.

Revenue, profits and market size

Today, Sanjay and Anita cultivate organic turmeric over one acre and process it to make powder, kumkum (vermilion), pickle, and haldi-doodh powder, which sells at Rs 2,000 per kg. The couple grows sugarcane, ginger, and other crops on another four acres. 

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“The annual yield of fresh turmeric is around 2.5 tonnes (2500 kg) and our revenue is Rs 8 lakh. After deducting expenses of Rs 2 lakh on labour, processing and packaging, the net profit is Rs 6 lakh from an acre,” explains Sanjay. 

“The profit from turmeric farming doubles on processing. The margins are high. The key to success is being organic and processing turmeric before sale,” says Anita.

The global turmeric market was valued at 5.5 billion dollars in 2023 and will reach 9.69 billion dollars by 2032, according to SkyQuest Technology. 

India's turmeric exports are projected to increase to 1 billion dollars by 2030, making it a profitable option for Indian farmers.

The journey from 25 kg to 2500 kg of turmeric

Sanjay and Anita’s turmeric business received a boost in 2013 when she joined a women's self-help group (SHG). “The members told me it could be a good business and I started getting space at exhibitions in Mumbai, Pune, and other cities,” she says. 

The Loni-based Janseva Foundation trained Anita in branding, packaging and marketing and the couple launched their Sai Sagar brand of organic turmeric powder in 2014. “We invested in machines for sealing and packaging. A training session with Tata Chemicals in Mumbai gave us the idea to expand beyond powder to kumkum, pickles, and other products,” she says.

Anita created a recipe for doodh-masala during COVID-19 when people were looking for immunity-boosting foods. 

“I started making the masala using seven ingredients, including turmeric, cloves, nutmeg and cardamom. The demand increased rapidly, and people began sending it to their friends and relatives outside India,” the agripreneur says. The couple has received many awards for their work, including the Maharashtra Hirkani Award in 2019.

Anita and Sanjay sell products directly to customers. 

“We send to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and other cities directly to customers. Outside of India, our products are sent to the US, Germany, Australia, and Russia,” Anita adds.

Organic farming of turmeric

The couple sows the rhizomes in June. “In one acre we sow 1,000 kg to 1,200 kg of rhizomes and the crop requires regular watering,” Sanjay says.

The couple has 12 cows and they use cow dung manure and slurry for organic farming. They also apply organic fertilizers like Trichoderma and Bacillus, which are beneficial microorganisms used for plant growth. “The turmeric is ready for harvest by March- April,” he adds. 

The processing work continues for the next month when turmeric is boiled, dried for 15 days and then polished and stored. It is grounded as and when an order comes. “To make profits from turmeric, farmers must process it,” Anita says.

(Rashmi Pratap is a Mumbai-based journalist specialising in financial, business and socio-economic reporting)

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