Thiruvananthapuram: The Exhibition of Ethnic Varieties of Rice by the Organic Bazaar in Kodiar in collaboration with the Association Thanal Environment tells the story of how these varieties became part of Indian culture.
One of the varieties on display is ‘Mappila Chamba’, which improves digestion and controls diabetes.
There ‘Mullan Kazhama‘, a fragrant variety of rice in Wayanad, is used to make food for babies because it is nutritious. Since it is not a high yielding and expensive variety, it is also known as the “royal variety”.
All of the varieties on display here are used for different purposes, including temple rituals, hormonal balance, and diabetes control. Some of the varieties are rich in antioxidants and are good for the nervous system and help control creatinine level. The exhibition 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 Thanal CEO, Manju N Nair, this platform introduces the benefits of each variety of rice to the public. Good consumer feedback encourages farmers to focus on more traditional varieties.