Mission Golden Spice launched for Lakadong Turmeric's global push

Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday launched the Rs 175.45-crore 'Mission Golden Spice' along with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, aiming to transform Meghalaya's GI-tagged Lakadong Turmeric into a globally recognised premium agricultural brand through a farm-to-global-market ecosystem.Launched under the Ministry's Unlock the Economic Potential of India's Northeast (USP) initiative, the five-year mission seeks to strengthen the entire value chain of Lakadong Turmeric while enhancing farmers' incomes, boosting exports and creating rural employment.
Speaking at the launch, Scindia highlighted that Lakadong Turmeric possesses the world's highest naturally occurring curcumin content, making it one of India's most distinctive agricultural products with growing international demand. He said the spice has already attracted strong interest from global leaders and stressed the need to maintain its quality, authenticity, scale and sustainability to establish a stronger presence in international markets.The mission aims to expand Lakadong Turmeric cultivation to 7,000 hectares, double farmers' incomes, generate over 3,000 women-led jobs and build a Rs 100-crore Lakadong Turmeric economy by 2028-29.Scindia said the initiative reflects the Centre's efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to integrate the Northeast's unique agricultural products into global value chains while creating greater value for farmers.

A Golden day to launch Mission Golden Spice!

An absolute pleasure to launch the ₹175.45 crore Lakadong Turmeric Mission Golden Spice along with Hon’ble CM of Meghalaya @SangmaConrad, under @MDoNER_India’s USP initiative.

With the world’s highest naturally occurring curcumin… pic.twitter.com/1cOK4J8QAt

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) July 21, 2026

Mission Golden Spice has been designed as a five-year roadmap from 2025 to 2030 and will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will focus on strengthening the value chain, while the second phase will emphasise expansion and scaling up production and market access for the GI-tagged Lakadong Turmeric.Addressing the event,CM Conrad Sangma said the mission is the result of years of institutional efforts by the Meghalaya government, officials and farmers. He said it reflects the Union government's strategy of identifying one unique product from each northeastern state and developing a comprehensive, replicable growth model around it.Sangma also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continued focus on the Northeast and reaffirmed Meghalaya's commitment to replicating the model for other key products from the state, including pineapple, ginger, jackfruit, honey and mushrooms.