Sangli located in the western part of Maharashtra is considered to be the largest and most important trading centre for turmeric in Asia. Popularly known as the ‘Saffron City’, Sangli has been cultivating its world-famous turmeric since the 1900s. It is said that large quantities of Sangli turmeric used to be exported through the Rajapur harbour port and also became famous as Rajapuri turmeric. A historical and progressive auction system was established in 1910 which helped Sangli turmeric gain international recognition.
Turmeric rhizomes are taken out during the dry weather and the halakunda is broken off and kept as seed material for the next season. These are dried in the shade and stored in a pit covered with turmeric leaves or plastered over with a mixture of earth and cow dung. The bottom of the pit is filled with dry sand and dried grass.
The crop is sown between April – July. There is good water supply in this region from the Krishna and Warna rivers which helps the farmers tremendously as this crop needs to be periodically irrigated. Organic fertilizers like cow dung, Neem paste and farmyard manure are used. Turmeric crop is harvested when the leaves start turning yellow and drying up which is about ten months after plantation. Fresh rhizomes have an attractive dark and sometimes light orange colour.
After the rhizomes are dug up and cleaned, they are separated and boiled or steamed in copper or earthen vessels. This process is necessary as it will increase the content of curcumin and substantially improve the quality of the turmeric. The saffron hued turmeric is then spread out on a clean floor and left to dry in the sun.
The fully dried turmeric becomes hard and the broken pieces are graded to be sold in the market. The most remarkable feature of Sangli turmeric is the natural underground storage warehouse where turmeric is sometimes stored for two years. “Peve” is a conical underground pit with a narrow circular opening at the top (2.5 metre in diameter) and a wider space in the bottom (4.5 – 5.5 metre in diameter). Usually this pit is about 6 – 7.5 metres deep and can hold about 24 to 32 tons of turmeric. This “Peve” is coated with cow dung paste from inside and padded with a thick layer of paddy or sugarcane straw. It is called as katta bori in the local language. Generally, this pit is filled to only 75 percent of its capacity with turmeric and then covered with a layer of straw and black soil. The soil is not packed in tightly to allow the air from inside the pit to flow out so that gradually the pit has very less oxygen and becomes airtight. This natural preservation technique enhances the quality of the turmeric rendering it a distinctive colour and aroma as well as prolonging its shelf life.
Sangli turmeric has a Curcumin content percentage of 3.45 which is very high and lends it an earthy, slightly bitter, a little hot peppery flavour and a mustardy fragrance. This deep saffron coloured turmeric received the Geographical Indication Tag (GI) in 2018.
Why Sangli?
The unique colour and aroma of Sangli turmeric is derived from the physical characteristics of the black soil and most importantly from their ingenious underground storage system commonly known as “Peve” which has been in use for more than a century.
Sangli district has rich fertile soil and dry weather conditions that are extremely well-suited for growing turmeric. The southern part of Sangli namely Miraj, Tasgaon, Palus, Kadegaon, Walwa, Vita, Khanapur and Chinchali are the major turmeric producing areas. The average trade per year at Sangli is about 1,39,965 quintals which forms almost 80 percent of the total turmeric trade in India. The turmeric grown in the southern part of Sangli and Walwa is regarded to be superior as they possess higher sugar content and their halakunda (a clove of the root of turmeric) can be broken easily.
Method of Production:
1) Seed Selection
During dry weather turmeric rhizomes are taken out with the help of spade. Fingers are separated from mother rhizomes .Well developed, healthy, insect pest and disease free mother rhizomes are kept as seed material.
The seed rhizomes are dried in shade and stored in a pit and covered with turmeric leaves or plastered over with earth mixed with cow dung. The bottom of pit is filled with dry sand and dried grasses.
2) Water management
Sangli district is situated in the river basin of the Warna and Krishna rivers. The mostly water supply is from Krishna and sometime from ground water.
3) Nutrition management
Turmeric crop require heavy manuring. Organic fertilizers like cow dung, compost or Farmyard manure is applied at the time of preparing the land.
4) Method of cultivation
The land is ploughed 4-6 times to make the soil to suitable for planting or growing a crop. Small pits are made with a hand hoe with 1 feet distance in each pit. Pits are filled with well decomposed cattle manure or compost. Seed rhizomes are placed over it then covered with soil. The selected pieces of turmeric rhizomes having two or three buds that is mother rhizomes are planted in a line at a distance of about one feet, between the two plants.
Medium black soil is suitable for turmeric cultivation. The crop is sown from April to July that is before rainy season.
Plant grows 2-3 feet above soil. The crop is periodically irrigated. Farmers also use phosphate and “Neem” paste in the month of November to January as manure. After two months turmeric fingers are ready. Turmeric crop is ready for harvesting after about ten months since plantation. The crop is uprooted. It is first boiled and then dried in the sun.
5) Harvesting
- The crop becomes ready for harvest in seven to nine months after sowing, when the leaves turn yellow and start drying up.
- Usually harvesting begins from January-February and continues till March.
6) Post Harvesting
- The rhizomes are dug up and clean with water.
- The mother-rhizomes and fingers are separated.
- The cleaned rhizomes are boiled or steamed in copper or earthern vessels for 40–45 minutes,till a forth comes out and white fumes appear giving out a characteristic odour. Boiling removes the raw odor, gelatinize the starch, and produce a more uniformly colored product. Fresh rhizomes have dark and light orange colour but after cooking it becomes saffron in colour. Because of cooking, the curcumin content in turmeric rhizomes disjunct equally. It which also increases the curcumin content percentage and improves the quality of Sangli turmeric. In sangli Turmeric rhizomes are cooked to get less wrinkles. It also increases hardness of rhizomes. Also the turmeric peel becomes soft which helps to reduce drying time.
- Boiling of Sangli Turmeric in copper or earthern vessels.
- After cooking, the turmeric rhizomes become soft and can pressed between the fingers.
- Traditionally, rhizomes were placed in pans or earthenware filled with water and then covered with leaves and a layer of cow dung. The ammonia in the cow dung reacted with the turmeric to give the final product.
- The boiled rhizomes are spread out on a clean floor to dry in the sun for about 10-15 days. They are stirred 3 or 4 times to ensure uniform drying.
- Fully dried the turmeric becomes hard and stiff. The dried turmeric is rubbed against the hard surface of the drying-floor or trampled under feet covered with pieces of gunny cloth. Clean and big pieces are separated out since they fetch a premium price. The broken bits are taken separately. The final moisture content should be between 8% and 10% (wet basis). When finger tapping of the rhizome produces a metallic sound, it is sufficiently dry.
7) Storage
Sangli is known for years as one of the largest trading centres of Turmeric in the world. This is because there are underground turmeric warehouses popularly known as Turmeric“Peve”, on the banks of river Krishna near Sangli. Turmeric can be stored here for more than two years without any harm. Such types of natural warehouses for storing turmeric are there only in Sangli. These “Peve” remains dry even during the monsoon when Krishna river is flooded. “Peve” is the main reason why Sangli developed into a major Turmeric Centre.
Fun Facts about Sangli Turmeric
- Sangli is the largest and most important trading centre for turmeric in Asia or perhaps in the world
- Sangli District is also known as saffron city because of its Turmeric identity.
- Sangli turmeric was exported to several countries through Rajapur harbor port hence it became famous as Rajapuri turmeric.
- Land under cultivation for Turmeric was recorded 3,596.039 hectares (8,886 acres) in 1961-62 in the district.
- In 2009 Sangli APMC celebrated 100 th years of turmeric trading market. Furthermore, records of 8 to 10 lacks of turmeric bags were traded from Sangli market in the same year.
References:
https://sahasa.in/2020/12/09/sangli-turmeric-of-maharashtra/
https://ipindia.gov.in/writereaddata/Portal/IPOJournal/1_2630_1/Journal_108.pdf
