Ramdev signs MoU with 3 FPOs to buy turmeric grown in UP's Bahraich

A senior official said that under the agreement, Ramdev will buy 50,000 tonnes of turmeric from Bahraich every year

Under Uttar Pradesh's One District-One Product' scheme, Yoga guru Ramdev has decided to buy turmeric grown in the Bahraich district.

Ramdev has signed an agreement with three Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) of the district at Patanjali Yogpeeth on Saturday.

A senior official on Monday said that under the agreement, Ramdev will buy 50,000 tonnes of turmeric from Bahraich every year.

"Bahraich district was selected for products made from turmeric in the One District-One Product' (ODOP) scheme, Bahraich District Magistrate Monica Rani on Monday told PTI.

The DM said that it is the result of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's efforts for the farmers that the Yoga guru has come forward to buy turmeric from Bahraich.

The area of Mihipurwa tehsil connected to Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in the district is an ideal place for agriculture as it is rich in natural resources, has fertile land and favorable climate, she said.

Turmeric, jimikand (Elephant Foot Yam) and green vegetables are cultivated in abundance in this area.

The medicinal properties of turmeric here are much more than other places. These are produced and marketed by regional farmers but thousands of farmers here do not get a fair price for their produce, the DM said.

Traders from states like Punjab and Haryana buy turmeric from the farmers here at a cheap price and sell it further at a higher price, she said.

The DM said an agreement for the sale and marketing of 45,000-50,000 tons of turmeric in an area of about 2,000 hectares at the rate of 20 to 25 tons per hectare per year has been signed with Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurveda Limited Company on Saturday, which will benefit the farmers of the district.

On the instructions of CM Adityanath, this initiative is taken to increase the income of the farmers of the district for the purpose of their all-round development, she said.

With the use of Bahraich's turmeric in Ayurvedic medicines, it will soon get recognition at the national and world level.

The DM also said that arrangements are being made in Bahraich, Lucknow and in Patanjali (Haridwar) to provide training to the farmers producing turmeric to improve the quality as per the requirement of Ayurveda.