Agritech start-up AgNext, Spices Board tie up for quality testing solution for Meghalaya's Lakadong turmeric

Agritech start-up AgNext Technologies on Monday said it has tied up with the Spices Board of India to offer AI-based testing technology to check the quality of Meghalaya's renowned Lakadong turmeric.

Lakadong turmeric is globally considered to be one of the best-quality turmerics with high curcumin content (between 7-12 per cent), as compared to other varieties of turmeric where the average curcumin content is measured between 3-5 per cent.

In a statement, AgNext Technologies said artificial intelligence-based technology will assess the quality and 'curcumin' content in Lakadong turmeric.

This technology -- deployed at AgNext's turmeric processing unit (TPU) located at the horticultural hub in Thadlaskein -- will be operated by woman farmers associated with self-help groups (SHGs), the company said in a statement.

The Board and turmeric farmers will also have access to AI-enabled SaaS (software-as-a-service) platform 'Qualix', which will help to digitise quality, generate critical insights and enable traceability across the supply chain, it added.

AgNext Technologies CEO and founder Taranjeet Singh Bhamra said traditional testing time of turmeric can take hours, and depending on the distance, it can even take days for the test results to come back. This leads to the loss of time and resources for both farmers and traders.

"Rapid quality testing helps to mitigate these losses by analysing curcumin content in less than one minute," he said.

After the proven success of 'Qualix' for turmeric quality testing at AMC Nizamabad, Telangana, Bhamra said, "We are now set to deliver a similar impact to around 700 Lakadong women turmeric farmers, as well as traders in the region."

At the launch of TPU, the Spices Board gifted the woman farmers from SHGs AgNext's curcumin testing device 'SpecX Pro', for instant analysis of curcumin content of the turmeric.

Meghalaya Agriculture Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh, Meghalaya Farmers' Empowerment Commission Chairman K N Kumar as well as the principal secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry were, among others, present at the event.