Study of turmeric growers in Ratnagiri district

Abstract

The Study on “Study of turmeric growers in Ratnagiri district” was conducted in Ratnagiri district of Konkan region of Maharashtra state in India. For this study districts, tahsils and villages were selected on the basis of maximum area under turmeric cultivation. The data was collected by personal interview using pretested standardized schedule with sample size constituted of 90 respondents. It was observed that majority of the respondents (36.67 per cent) fell under the ‘medium’ utilization category, suggesting that most farmers used turmeric for common purposes such as cooking, minor medicinal applications, or home-level storage. It was found that (100.00 per cent) used turmeric powder in curry and gravy preparations, making it the most dominant and routine usage. It was noticed that (88.88 per cent) used turmeric for treating minor cuts and wounds, showing strong reliance on indigenous knowledge for first-aid care. About 88.89 per cent of respondents used turmeric for inflammation relief, while smaller proportions used it for decoctions 20.00 per cent, turmeric milk 66.67 per cent, and skin infections 83.33 per cent. This highlights turmeric’s trusted role in traditional healing, though awareness and usage of internal health applications like decoctions and golden milk remain limited. In terms of cosmetic use, only 55.56 per cent of respondents reported using turmeric in face packs, while 22.22 per cent used it in body scrubs, and just 5.55 per cent for hair care. Finally 100.00 per cent of growers were sold their harvest in market, 90 per cent of the respondents retained their produce for seed purpose while 100.00 per cent of the growers processed then turmeric for further marketing.