Meghalaya to Kerala: Officials test drones to solve first mile pick up issues

Sumita Dawra, Additional Secretary in DPIIT said the payload delivery by a drone was the first step in the use of innovative solutions to improve the first mile connectivity issue in the hinterland where farmers could not supply their products to the market due to accessibility issues. She said it would help usher in the fourth industrial revolution.

New Delhi:Indian authorities on Saturday tested drone based payload delivery service in the West Jaintia Hills district in the North-Eastern state of Meghalaya to solve the first mile connectivity issue faced by the farmers of the world famous Lakadong turmeric, which has the highest content of curcumin, but its supply to processing units located in Kerala and elsewhere remains a challenge due to the difficult terrain of the producing district.

In this fly-off event, drones were used to pick up a payload of the famed Lakadong turmeric from the district so that it can be processed and supplied to the end users.

Officials said Lakadong turmeric has been identified under The One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), as a product with excellent potential for growth and export for West Jaintia Hills.

In this case, officials partnered with AGNIi Mission, one of the nine technology missions under the Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council to identify Indian innovative technologies that can play a transformative role in the end-to-end processing of Lakadong Turmeric, starting with the use of payload drones (UAVs) to transport the turmeric in large quantities.

Sumita Dawra, Additional Secretary in DPIIT said the payload delivery by a drone was the first step in the use of innovative solutions to improve the first mile connectivity issue in the hinterland where farmers could not supply their products to the market due to accessibility issues. She said it would help usher in the fourth industrial revolution.

Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric

According to the officials, Lakadong Turmeric from West Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya is one of the world’s finest turmeric varieties with the highest curcumin content of 7-9% whereas other varieties have 3% or less curcumin content. Farming of this variety of turmeric is fast becoming a game-changer in the economy of the district.

The State of Meghalaya has applied for a Geographical Indication tag for Lakadong turmeric.

The percentage of curcumin and oleoresin content in turmeric determines the demand by the industry along with the price.

Largest producer of turmeric

India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric according to the official data. The country exported turmeric worth $236.5 million in 2018, which was just $182.53 million in 2017.

According to officials, turmeric is a positive crop as it improves health and does not require huge quantities of water.

India produces 78 percent of the world’s turmeric, as per a reply given by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in the Rajya Sabha in March last year.

As per the official data, in 2018-19, turmeric production was 389 thousand tonnes, with area and productivity 246 thousand hectares and 5646.34 kg per hectare respectively.

Rising turmeric import due to remote location

Despite the country being the world’s largest turmeric producer and exporter, turmeric imports had also been increasing in recent years. Explaining the phenomenon, Sumitra Dwara said the major importers were the extraction and processing industries that require high curcumin and oleoresin.

She says that in spite of the availability of Lakadong turmeric, which has the highest curcumin content and excellent potential for domestic sales and export, its farmers faced severe market access issues due to the remoteness of the location, topography and terrain related issues.

“Buyers have to incur additional costs to transport the goods from the villages via local pick-up trucks till the major transporter’s loading point. Additional costs of transportation and delays act as barriers and disincentivize the buyer," noted the official.

The officer said this payload delivery by drone will not only give a fillip to the mandate of the ODOP initiative but also leverage modern technology as a fundamental solution to overcome the bottleneck of transportation that acts as a barrier in realizing the optimal potential of this exceptional spice from Meghalaya.

Meghalaya turmeric processed in Kerala

DPIIT officials have already facilitated the trade of over 13,000 kilograms of sliced and dried Lakadong Turmeric to a large food processing industry in Ernakulam, Kerala last year.

They point out that under the ODOP initiative, the price of Lakadong Turmeric has increased from Rs 150 per kilogram last year to Rs 170 per kilogram in 2022 this year, an increase of Rs 20.

One District One Product Initiative

Officials said the 'One District One Product' Initiative was a transformational step forward towards realizing the true potential of a district, fuelling economic growth, and advancing the goal of Vocal for Local.

Lauding the success of the ODOP team in pitching the highest curcumin content of Lakadong Turmeric as its Unique Selling Proposition, Sumitra Dawra said that the team had succeeded in the creation of market linkages for more than 500 turmeric farmers from self-help groups and co-operative Societies from four villages in West Jaintia Hills district.

The senior officer said that under the ‘Lakadong Turmeric 2.0’, new efforts are being planned to scale up procurement for sustainable sales for the harvest season of 2022 and the years to come.

In December last year, DPIIT officials facilitated buyers visits to Meghalaya for direct interactions at the farm level and also organized buyer-seller meets. These have ended in the finalization of procurement orders for over 25,000 kilograms of turmeric.