Task before new boards: Boosting India's global standing in key commodities

The Indian turmeric industry, however, needs to brace itself up to capitalise on the emerging opportunities in the world bazaar in the face of escalating competition from several new players

Barely two weeks after launching the National Turmeric Board to make India the global hub of this multi-utility spice, the government proposed, in the 2025-26 Budget, setting up a similar board for makhana (fox nut), a relatively neglected aquatic agro-product that is gaining popularity the world over as a superfood. With these two new boards, the count of commodity boards in the country swells to seven. The five pre-existing boards are looking after the sectoral interests of coffee, tea, rubber, tobacco, and spices. These statutory, yet autonomous, bodies are mandated primarily to promote the production, post-harvest processing, value-addition, marketing, and