‘Dummy’ varieties threaten Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric

Protecting the authenticity of Lakadong turmeric in Meghalaya from imitations through geographical indication and government interventions.

GUWAHATI

Growers of the exotic Lakadong turmeric in Meghalaya are facing the heat from “dummy” varieties of the famed spice with geographical indication (GI).

Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, the president of the regional Voice of the People Party, said he had attended a programme involving local turmeric growers who said their sales have dipped because of packaged turmeric being sold as the Lakadong variety.

Mr. Basaiawmoit, who represents the Nongkrem Assembly constituency, raised their issue in the 60-member State Assembly on Tuesday.

“The sales are going down because people from other States have planted the Lakadong variety by taking the rhizomes from here. They sell the produce by using the Lakadong name,” he said.

Seeking the government’s intervention to patent the product, he said the branding has diluted the quality of the original Lakadong turmeric because the soil outside the State cannot yield the same quality of the common spice.

“Consumers find it difficult to differentiate between the original Lakadong and the dummy ones that misuse the name of Lakadong,” Mr. Basaiawmoit said.