Turmeric importers plead with Minister to help get consignment held up at the port released

By Jagath Kanaherarachchi

The Turmeric Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka had requested Plantations Minister Dr Ramesh Pathirana to assist them in having a consignment of one million kilos of turmeric released from the Colombo port, Chief Organiser of the association Sivalingam Elilventhan said.

He said that the turmeric was an ingredient used in Ayurveda medicine.

Elilventhan said that the stock of turmeric had been kept at the port since May and the importers had to pay for the delay in clearing it. “Demurrage is accumulating on a daily basis. Blocking the release of turmeric consignment has also resulted in a shortage of turmeric in the market. We hope the minister will bring this to the notice of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and help us.”

The shortage of turmeric had resulted in a price hike too, Elilvenathan said. The market price of a kilo of turmeric is Rs 750 but in the black market a kilo is sold at Rs 4,500. The blockade came following a decision by the government to stop importing turmeric. The consignment was on its way to the country when the decision was taken.

Elilvenathan said that they would promote local turmeric farmers by donating Rs. 100 million to cultivate turmeric here. Turmeric was a ten-month crop, he said. it took two months to process tumeric, he said, adding that currently the country was not growing turmeric on a commercial scale.

“The new crop season has just started in May and June and its harvest will come to the market in April next year. For every six kilos of raw turmeric we would get only one kilo of dry turmeric fingers. So, our farmers have to move for large scale cultivation to meet our annual demand which is around 5,500 metric tonnes. Last year, the country produced only 400 metric tonnes,” he added.