About 13 tonnes of turmeric which was to be smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka has been seized. After the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, the government has been taking various measures to increase the production of agricultural products.
The Government of Sri Lanka has set a target of becoming self-sufficient in food production, including turmeric, by 2021. For this, 11 items including turmeric, cloves, cardamom, poppy seeds, pepper, mustard and cumin have been banned from being imported from abroad.
Thus, it is said that there is currently a shortage of banned items in Sri Lanka. After the coronavirus pandemic, turmeric is being used by the Sri Lankan people as a disinfectant, so it is said that a kilo of turmeric retails for Rs. 3,700 and wholesale for Rs. 2,000. It is said that some Tamil Nadu traders who came to know about this have been smuggling large quantities of turmeric to Sri Lanka by boat since last February and converting it into gold instead of cash.
Most of the smuggled turmeric is said to be transported from Dhanushkodi in Ramanathapuram district to the fourth earthen plateau in Sri Lanka via the Gulf of Mannar. The investigation also revealed that the smugglers could easily smuggle the turmeric. Due to the lack of depth in the sea, turmeric smuggling by boat can only be prevented by helicopter or hovercraft that can land and sea.