Kerala: Exhibition of ethnic rice varieties at Kowdiar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The exhibition of ethnic rice varieties by the Organic Bazaar in Kowdiar in collaboration with the Thanal Environment Association tells the tale of how such varieties became part of Indian culture.
One among the varieties on display is ‘Mappila Chamba’, which improves digestion and controls diabetes.
The ‘Mullan Kazhama’, a scented variety of rice in Wayanad, is used for making food to babies as it is nutritious. As it is not a high-yield variety and expensive, it is also known as the ‘Royal Variety’.
All the varieties exhibited here are being used for different purposes, including for temple rituals, hormonal balance and diabetic control. Some of the varieties are antioxidant rich and are good for the nervous system and help control creatinine level. The expo features rice varieties from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Bengal namely ‘Valiya Chennellu’, ‘Thondi’, ‘Govinda Bhog’, ‘Gandhashala’, ‘Poonkar’, ‘Karuppukavuni’, ‘Uma’, ‘Thooyamalli’, ‘Jyothi’ and more.
According to the CEO of Thanal, Manju N Nair, this platform introduces benefits of each rice variety to the public. The good feedback from consumers motivates farmers to concentrate on more traditional varieties.