Mission Golden Spice

Mission Golden Spice

The Government of India has launched the ₹175.45 crore Mission Golden Spice initiative to establish Meghalaya's GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric as a premium spice in the global market, strengthen its entire value chain, and enhance farmers' income.The mission focuses on Lakadong turmeric, which is primarily cultivated in the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. It is renowned for its high curcumin content (around 7–12%), making it superior to ordinary turmeric in terms of medicinal and nutritional value.

Mission Golden Spice

¨     Mission Golden Spice is a ₹175.45-crore convergence-led initiative launched by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) to promote Meghalaya’s GI-tagged Lakadong turmeric.

¨     It is officially known as the Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project.

¨     Duration: Five years (2025–2030).

Two phases:

¨     Phase I: Value Chain Strengthening.

¨     Phase II: Expansion and Scale-up.

Objective:

¨     Establish an integrated ecosystem covering cultivation, aggregation, processing, branding, traceability, marketing and exports of Lakadong turmeric.

Funding Pattern:

¨     MDoNER & the North Eastern Council (NEC): ₹87.62 crore (50%) for infrastructure.

¨     Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare: ₹58.10 crore (33.1%) for production enhancement and organic certification.

¨     Government of Meghalaya: ₹29.73 crore (16.9%) for branding, Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) working capital, blockchain-based GI traceability and export systems.

¨     Phase-I Approval: MDoNER has already sanctioned ₹43.24 crore.

¨     The mission forms part of the “Unlock the Economic Potential of India’s Northeast (USP)” initiative and aligns with the “Ashtalakshmi” vision, which promotes one unique product from each northeastern state based on its comparative advantage.

Lakadong Turmeric

¨     It is a premium indigenous turmeric variety grown mainly in the East and West Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya.

¨     It received the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag on 30 March 2024.

¨     It is renowned for its exceptionally high natural curcumin content of about 7–12%, compared with 2–3% in most conventional turmeric varieties.

¨     The high curcumin content gives it superior medicinal, nutraceutical, antioxidant and culinary value, making it one of India’s finest turmeric varieties.

¨     Its distinctive quality is closely linked to Meghalaya’s unique agro-climatic conditions, with attempts to cultivate it elsewhere resulting in lower curcumin levels.

¨     The crop is produced predominantly by smallholder farmers, with women constituting nearly 99% of growers, making it an important source of women-led rural livelihoods.

¨     The GI tag protects Lakadong turmeric’s geographical origin, authenticity, traditional cultivation practices and quality standards, while preventing misuse, counterfeiting and unauthorised use of its name.

¨     Lakadong turmeric has significant potential in organic food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and export markets.

Significance of the Initiative

¨     Enhances farmers’ income and livelihoods: Aims to nearly double farmers’ remuneration from ₹30–40 per kg to around ₹80 per kgby 2030 while benefiting over 17,500 farmers and creating 3,000+ women-led livelihood opportunities.

¨     Builds an integrated value chain: Develops end-to-end infrastructure for cultivation, processing, curcumin extraction, cold chain, branding, traceability and exports to maximise value addition.

¨     Strengthens global competitiveness: Positions Meghalaya as the global hub for high-curcumin GI-tagged Lakadong turmericand promotes it as a flagship “Brand North East“ product in international markets.