The Meghalaya Lakadong Turmeric Integrated Development Mission was launched today by Minister, MDoNER, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Chief Minister, Meghalaya, Conrad K Sangma, Minister, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Meghalaya, Timothy D Shira and others in a program held at Sanchar Bhavan, New Delhi that was also remotely attended by participants in Shillong via video conferencing. The Rs 175.45 Crs project is jointly funded by Ministry of DoNER/NEC, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Government of Meghalaya.
In his Key Note Address, Minister, DoNER, Jyotiraditya M Scindia, said that the meeting marks the launch of Mission Golden Spice that highlights the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s vison for the north eastern states’ development which also included developing state-of-the-art infrastructure and social development. “Our north eastern states are no longer the periphery of the developmental paradigm but have now become the center of India’s development,” he said. He added that the vision focused on infrastructure development and social parameters like housing, healthcare and education and also included developing each state’s unique capabilities on a regional, national and global basis. The Minister thus emphasized on the importance of each state’s unique selling proposition (USP) and the role of women in the farming community.
The Minister said that the launch of Mission Golden Spice is a transformational program with global market potential and added that the program will empower women growers and farmers, emphasizing the shift from women’s development to women-led development in India. He at length spoke and commended the role of women growers in Meghalaya and their contribution to the state’s development, describing the USP program as whole-of-government approach involving multiple arms of the central and the state government. He also mentioned about the twofold approach of the government is each USP program, to ensure value chain development, increase processing capabilities and reduce distress sales and to double the renumeration for farmers to Rs 80/ kg by 2030 and to increase the area under development triples from 2500 ha to 7000 ha and secondly, the program aims to expand the market for Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric to new markets like the United States, the European Union, Japan and the Gulf.
Congratulating the women farmers for their hard work and contribution to raising India’s capability on the world stage he informed that the Prime Minister’s presentation of Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric at the G7 Summit is a significant achievement. He further emphasized the need for collective effort to ensure the global recognition of Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric based on quality, authenticity, scale, organic capability and sustainability.
In conclusion, he expressed confidence in the success of the program and the potential for it to grow and expand and added that the program is a long-term initiative with a clear vision for the future aiming to benefit farmers and the agricultural industry and reiterated the commitment of the government to ensuring greater value for the farmers and international recognition for Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric.
In his address, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, said that the northeastern states have seen transformation under the DoNER Ministry under the stewardship of Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia with focused approach on sectors like agriculture and tourism. He added that the Lakadong turmeric is unique to the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya and has shown exceptional curcumin content which cannot be replicated in other regions even within Meghalaya. “The unique soil and ecosystem in West Jaintia Hills and East Jaintia Hills ensure the high quality of the Lakadong turmeric making it the correct product for the mission,” he said.
The Chief Minister also spoke about the positive impact of the program on women entrepreneurs and farmers with thousands of lives changed because of the Lakadong turmeric and added that the mission comes at a crucial time as it will exponentially push the growth and development of the sector. He also informed that the state has ensured value addition for various agricultural products by providing technological and financial support. “Working capital is available to farmers, SHGs and organizations through a financial set up by the state, eliminating the need for farmers to worry about banking norms and collaterals. The systems have been fine-tuned, and we are now in a position to take this forward,” he said.
Concluding his speech, the Chief Minister, assured hard work for the success of the program so that the model can be replicated in the northeastern region benefitting farmers and the agricultural sector.
Interaction with Progressive Lakadong turmeric farmers, Padmashree Trinity Saioo and Jhanika Siangshai, launch of Mission Lakadong Turmeric, screening of a short film on Mission Lakadong Turmeric were the other highlights of the program.
Sukanta, Majumdar, Minister of State, MDoNER, Secretary, MDoNER, Nivedita Shukla, Commissioner & Secretary, Meghalaya, Dr Vijay Kumar D and Investors & Industry representative Dr Hemanth Kumar Manikyam, Ziran India were among others who were present during the launch.
This Mission is a ₹175.45 Crore integrated value chain development programme aimed at positioning Meghalaya as the national and global hub for premium, organic, GI-certified Lakadong turmeric. The Mission focuses on the entire ecosystem—from production and certification to processing, branding, value addition, and exports.
The project, Mission Golden Spice: Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain of total Project Total Project Cost ₹175.45 Crore for duration 2026–2030 (5 Years) will cover West & East Jaintia Hills with 17,500+ to be benefitted with women participation 99% in processing and institutional activities. The targeted production is 49,400 MT by 2030 with key objective to transform Lakadong into a globally competitive, value-added and export-oriented value chain.
Meghalaya Lakadong Turmeric Integrated Development Mission launched
