Ganjam Aska Turmeric Sericulture Berhampur Silk

Ganjam district in coastal Odisha produces Aska turmeric (Curcuma longa) on its red laterite soils — a high-curcumin variety named after Aska town that is traded at the Aska agricultural market and processed into turmeric powder for Odisha's domestic cooking use. Berhampur (Brahmapur) city in Ganjam is an important silk weaving centre producing Berhampur pata silk saris with characteristic bold geometric borders and contrasting body-pallu colour combinations woven by Pansari and Meher weaver communities. Ganjam's coastal fishers — primarily Jaliya Kaibarta caste — operate artisanal fishing crafts from Gopalpur, Chilika lake's southern rim, and Rushikulya beach, where olive ridley sea turtles mass-nest annually in one of the world's largest turtle aggregations.