Turmeric is one of the most important spices in India and other south Asian countries. Its Hindi name is “Haldi” which in Sanskrit means “Golden Colored”. But for millions of people in south Asia who consume it on a daily basis, it can be poisonous and deadly. Because adulterated Turmeric is abandoned in the local markets. In order to heighten its yellowish color, it is a common practice to dust turmeric rhizomes with Lead Chromate. Lead Chromate is a neurotoxin. The heart and brain disease created by lead poisoning- which children are especially susceptible- accounted for more than 1.4 million deaths in south Asian countries in 2019. The economic cost is very high. According to some Estimates the lead poisoning has lowered South Asia productivity by the equivalent of 9 percent of its GDP. Yet in the last three years Bangladesh government has done a fantastic job against adulterated Turmeric which set an example for the other countries of the region.
Bangladesh government in cooperation with the international center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, launched a nationwide program against adulterated turmeric. Rules against Turmeric adulteration were enforced. Those Wholesalers who continued to sell Turmeric with high Lead concentration faced publicized stings. Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, spoke about this problem on television. And according to new data the prevalence of adulterated Turmeric in the Bangladesh market decreased to near zero in just two years. As a result, the amount of Lead in the blood of Bangladesh Turmeric-milled workers decreased by one third. This must have saved the lives of tens of thousand people in the last two years.
According to research the cost of preserving a healthy life for a year is about $1. On the other hand, achieving the same benefit through governmental cash transfers would cost $ 800. The Bangladesh experiment of combating Adulterated Turmeric highlights the success of the governments in single well-defined and strict public good projects.
Source: Economist
