Berhampur: The ongoing war between the US and Iran has cast a shadow on the export plans of organic Kandhamal Haldi to the West Asian countries this year.Around 50 metric tonnes of the finger turmeric from Kandhamal district was exported to Qatar in 2025-26, and 15 tonnes the previous year to the same country, said Sanjit Patnaik, secretary of Kandhamal Apex Spices Association for Marketing (Kasam), an organization also involved in procurement, processing and value addition of the spices in the district.“As the demand for the Kandhamal Haldi is gradually increasing in Qatar, we planned to export more turmeric and explore its market in the West Asian countries this year, but the ongoing conflict has hit our plans following closure of airspaces,” he said.Kandhamal is one of the largest turmeric producing districts in the country, with around 40,000 tribal households involved in growing the golden spice on around 13,000 hectares. Total production of turmeric is around 24,000 metric tonnes annually, sources said. Due to its uniqueness, the Kandhamal Haladi was accorded the Geographical Indication tag on April 1, 2019.At present, the demand for the Kandhamal turmeric is more in the European countries due to its special character of the golden colour and medicinal value. Last year, Kasam had exported around 2,500 metric tonnes, and major quantities had gone to Europe, the US, Australia, and Japan after catering to the local demands.Patnaik said the golden spice would be exported to the European countries this year after its harvest next month.
