A SOURCING STORY
Nestled along a river in the lowland
plains of Nepal is the small agrarian
community of Sangrampur. Splaying
out from the river are vast grids of
dusty turmeric fields. Here, many
local farmers grow and prepare the
golden spice for market. They are
indelibly marked by the sign of their
trade — golden-palmed hands
Fallow dreams and difficult years
Unlike turmeric farmers in other regions
of the world, growers in Sangrampur must
invest untold hours in preparing their crop
for sale. Current market demands require
that farmers not only grow and harvest
turmeric roots, but also scrub, boil, and
process the deeply pigmented tubers — all
before they get a chance to sell. Even in
the wake of a successful harvest, these
small-scale growers ride frequent waves of
market instability; all too often, they receive
significantly less for their labour-intensive
turmeric than it is worth.
Ramekwal Saha is one of these goldenpalmed
farmers struggling to climb above
economic stresses in Sangrampur. He and
his wife long dreamed that their farming
venture would bring enough financial
security to send their children to school.
Bolstered by his vision, Ramekwal sowed
his first crop of turmeric in a small stony
parcel of land on loan from his neighbour,
and over the course of many backbreaking
seasons, his average yield grew to over one
ton of turmeric tubers. Unfortunately, with
the oppressive state of the spice market,
even this relative success was not near
enough to send Ramekwal’s eight children
to school. The Saha family was caught in an
impossible trade climate.
No longer alone
Like so many other small farmers in his
region, Ramekwal needed an allied force
to turn the tide. Such a friend came in the
form of a dōTERRA Cō -Impact Sourcing ™
partnership. When dōTERRA offered a fair
alternative to the current demoralising
system, Ramekwal was willing to link arms
in good faith.
6 EUROPE LIVING MAGAZINE