Revitalising the Turmeric Sector in Bihar: A Value Chain Perspective

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is a high-value crop with significant health, culinary, and industrial importance, making it an integral part of India’s agricultural exports. While India dominates global turmeric production, Bihar despite its favorable agro-climatic conditions has witnessed stagnation in productivity, acreage, and value addition. This study analyzes the turmeric sector in Bihar through a comprehensive value chain perspective, integrating secondary data analysis (2011–2025) with primary field insights from Samastipur and East Champaran districts. The study combines secondary data from 2011 to 2025 on area, production, productivity, value of output, and price trends sourced from IndiaStat and various government reports, along with primary field data on value chain mapping in Samastipur and East Champaran districts. The findings of trend analysis reveal that despite favourable agro-climatic conditions, Bihar lags behind national averages in yield and output value due to low adoption of improved varieties, inadequate processing infrastructure, fragmented marketing systems and poor branding providing a scope data-driven foundation for the value chain analysis and proposed policy recommendations. Farmers receive only 23.4% of the final consumer price, with the largest value addition occurring at the processing and retail levels. The study benchmarks successful value chain models from Telangana, Odisha, and Meghalaya to identify replicable strategies for Bihar. Policy recommendations emphasize promoting Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), investing in post-harvest infrastructure, facilitating organic and GI certification, and enhancing direct market access. The paper concludes that a multi-pronged intervention anchored in institutional support, branding, and export facilitation can revitalize Bihar’s turmeric economy. Future research should focus on FPO led innovation models, digital market integration, and sustainable production systems to ensure equitable and scalable growth across the turmeric value chain.