Mission Golden Spice
Prelims:
Agriculture
Mains:
GS
Paper II- Government Policies and Interventions for Development, GS Paper III-
Agriculture
Current relevance:
The Ministry of Development of North
Eastern Region (MDoNER) launched Mission Golden Spice, an initiative to
transform Meghalaya's GI-tagged Lakadong Turmeric into a globally competitive
premium spice brand under the vision of "Brand North East".
Highlights:
1.
Lakadong
Turmeric:
i.
Indigenous turmeric variety grown mainly in Jaintia
Hills, Meghalaya.
ii.
Has
received Geographical Indication (GI) Tag (2024)
iii.
Known for:
1.
Very high curcumin content (7–10%), nearly four
times the global average.
2.
Rich aroma and bright colour.
3.
High medicinal and nutraceutical value.
4.
Organic cultivation practices.
iv.
Considered
Meghalaya's flagship "Brand North East" product with premium
export potential.
2.
Mission Golden Spice:
i.
The
Mission is designed as a five-year roadmap (2025–2030) with two phases: Value
Chain Strengthening (Phase 1) and Expansion and Scale-up (Phase 2).
ii.
Targets
tripling the existing cultivation area and doubling the
direct financial returns for local farmers through value addition and
premium pricing.
iii.
It
advances the ‘Ashtalakshmi initiative’, which identifies a Unique
Selling Proposition (USP) for each of the northeastern states.
iv.
Position
Lakadong Turmeric as a global luxury spice brand.
v.
Develop
a complete farm-to-market value chain.
vi.
Strengthen
processing, branding, exports, and GI monetisation.
Source: PIB - https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2287186®=1&lang=1