Turmeric has been cooked into staple dishes and utilized in natural drugs for 1000’s of years in India. However within the final decade, the spice has taken on new life within the West, encapsulated into tablets and pressed into juice pictures. That’s all because of America’s latest obsession: curcumin. The wholesome compound is discovered solely in turmeric and is accountable for the spice’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers. Well being firms within the US and Europe are keen to pay massive bucks to get turmeric with a curcumin degree above 5%. However Indian farmers, who develop a lot of the world’s provide, can’t money in. What they produce isn’t that prime in curcumin — solely about 2%. In the meantime, different international locations, like Fiji, are creeping in, rising extra turmeric with increased ranges of the compound for Western markets. So what does it take to make a more healthy, extra worthwhile turmeric? And is there a approach for farmers in India to money in on Western demand?
