As one drives through the vast expanse of fields along National Highway-44 and National Highway-63, criss-crossing the Armoor and Balkonda Assembly constituencies of Nizamabad district, the most striking feature to catch the eye is the turmeric crop, in various stages.
Turmeric spiced up the Assembly .elections of 2014 and 2018 in this region, as well as the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but seems to have lost its sheen this time. Ostensibly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a National Turmeric Board in two public meetings in Mahabubnagar and Nizamabad in October, has fulfilled a long-term demand of farmers and removed it is an election issue. However, conversations with progressive farmers from these two constituencies indicates that they are not taking the announcement seriously.
Turmeric is grown in about 2.5 lakh acres across Telangana, with the old Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts accounting for a third of the State’s crop. Armoor is the main hub of turmeric cultivation. Posh houses with four wheelers parked in the porticos and tractors outside are a common sight in the villages along these two National Highways as commercial crops such as turmeric and maize have transformed farmers’ lives in about 100 villages.
