The price of dried turmeric has increased significantly in Rangamati markets at the end of the harvesting season. Compared to last year, the price of the spice produced in the hill district has nearly doubled. Currently, dried turmeric is selling for Tk 8,000 to Tk 9,000 per maund, while in retail markets it is being sold at around Tk 250 per kilogram.
Due to the favorable weather conditions and fertile land for spice cultivation, turmeric is widely grown every year on large areas in Rangamati. Typically planted in the Bengali months of Chaitra and Baishakh, turmeric takes about 10 months to mature. As the production cost is relatively low, it is considered a profitable crop for local farmers.
Md Saiful Islam, a turmeric trader from Kutukchhari in Rangamati Sadar upazila, said, “The price of dried turmeric in the market is much higher this year compared to last year. Because turmeric produced in the hill areas is of good quality, wholesalers from different districts across the country are coming here to buy it.”
Another trader Abdul Kader said, “Turmeric from Rangamati is in high demand in the market because of its strong color and quality. Currently, turmeric is selling for Tk 8,000 to Tk 9,000 per maund. We regularly send shipments to different places, including Dhaka and Chittagong.”
Local vendor Suman Chakma said, “During the season, truckloads of turmeric from here are transported to various districts across the country. A large portion of the country’s demand is now being met from the hill regions.”
Md Moniruzzaman, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rangamati, said that a major share of Bangladesh’s total turmeric production comes from the hills of Rangamati. “This year, turmeric was cultivated on about 2,300 hectares of land in the district. However, due to damage caused by last year’s monsoon, the effective cultivation area now stands at around 2,223 hectares.”
“We are getting good yields from these fields. Harvesting is still ongoing, and the full harvest has not yet been completed. We expect total production to reach about 37,660 metric tons this year,” he said, adding that field observations and farmers’ reports suggest that the yield of turmeric this year is better than last year.
Agriculture experts believe that expanding turmeric cultivation on the unused hill lands of the Chittagong Hill Tracts could further increase production. This would reduce the country’s dependence on imports of turmeric, save foreign currency, increase farmers’ income, and contribute positively to the country’s economy.
