In Erode, selling turmeric for Pongal is not for profit but for tradition

Farmers in Erode, Tamil Nadu, continue to harvest turmeric for Pongal, a tradition passed down for generations.

Farmers in Erode, which is a major turmeric growing district in Tamil Nadu, continue to harvest turmeric for Pongal from a portion of the crow-growing areas, as this is a tradition that has been passed on for generations.

The six-to-eight-month crop is cultivated on around 27,000 acres in the district, and the turmeric market in Erode is the second-biggest in the country, next to Nizamabad in Telangana. The crop is grown widely in the blocks of Kodumudi, Modakkurichi, Erode, Bhavani, Anthiyur and Gobichettipalayam, that are irrigated by the Kalingarayan Canal, Lower Bhavani Project Canal, and Arakkankottai and Thadapalli Canals.

However, not all of the entire turmeric is harvested for the festival. Farmers say the crop on about 250 to 320 acres is harvested by farmers, and traders purchase this to sell across the State.

“About 75,000 to 80,000 bunches of turmeric are harvested on an acre and traders usually purchase a bunch from the farmers for ₹3-5,” said R. Selvakumar, secretary of the Kalingarayan Mathagu Pasana Vivasayigal Sabai. Each farmer cultivates turmeric for the festival on 10 to 20 cents of the entire area under turmeric while the rest is harvested in March every year.

“We are not looking at profit (in harvesting for Pongal). It is a tradition to harvest a portion of our crop for Pongal,” he says.

In the retail market, a turmeric bunch, that is tied around the pot when Pongal is prepared, is sold between ₹20 and ₹35 as traders say cost towards labour and transportation is very high. “It is a seasonal business and we want to make a quick profit,” said a trader, who transports turmeric to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

C. Nallasamy, president of the Keel Bhavani Pasana Vivasayigal Sangam, said farmers never think about making profit when they sell turmeric for Pongal as it is a tradition being followed for generations. “Farmers usually pick bunches from the field and use it at home and also distribute it to relatives,” he said. “All the farmers want to keep up the tradition.”