{"id":3282,"date":"2019-05-12T10:22:15","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T04:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/udaen.info\/?p=3282"},"modified":"2019-05-12T10:25:07","modified_gmt":"2019-05-12T04:55:07","slug":"3282-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/udaen.info\/?p=3282","title":{"rendered":"How cultivating chia seeds is helping Mysuru farmers boost agricultural income"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Earlier we Farmers who grew traditional crops like tobacco, millets, etc., said that their life has been transformed after growing chia. like slaves in our own farms,\u201d said Madappa of Bidarahallihundi village in Heggadadevana Kote taluka of\u00a0Mysuru, standing in his chia farm, adjusting the green shawl \u2013 a must-have clothing accessory of\u00a0most Kannada farmers \u2013 thrown over his white shirt. \u201cBut now we are like kings.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the climatic conditions of Mysuru district favored crops like rice, sorghum, ragi, pulses, sugarcane and tobacco, farmers here have been growing them for generations. Farmers of Mysuru, known for the pomp and gaiety of its traditional 10-day-long Dasara\u00a0festival, are writing a new chapter, growing this popular crop that retails for Rs 100-odd for 100gm in metros.<\/p>\n

Farmers who grew traditional crops like tobacco, millets, etc., said that their life has been transformed after growing chia. Hundreds of chia seed growers in villages of Mysuru district have enhanced their agricultural income without any government intervention.<\/p>\n

New crop<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among Mysuru\u2019s horticulture crops are Nanjangud Rasabale banana, Mysuru betel leaves, Mysuru\u00a0mallige\u00a0(jasmine) and\u00a0Erengere brinjal,\u00a0which are however vanishing due\u00a0to the state\u2019s indifference and the changing preference of the consumer. In recent years, it\u2019s the chia seeds that have brought the district into the limelight.<\/p>\n

Chia seeds have been available in health and lifestyle stores in the country\u2019s metros, having been imported from Mexico. It was the team of Ram Rajasekharan, former director of Mysuru-based\u00a0Central Food Technological Research Institute<\/a>(CFTRI) and his colleagues, biochemist Malathi Srinivasan and plant breeder R. V. Sreedhar that introduced chia as a crop among Indian farmers.<\/p>\n

the acreage under chia cultivation is increasing<\/em><\/p>\n

Growing it in the 38-acre\u00a0Bengaluru\u00a0campus of CFTRI, researchers began work on chia seeds in 2012. Through pure line selection, CFTRI developed a pure line with blue flower and white seeds, and a high yielding line of white flower and white seeds and have tested them through five generations.<\/p>\n

In October 2014, CFTRI organised an all India farmers\u2019 empowerment program, where hundreds of farmers who had come from different parts of the country were gifted 100gm pouches of chia seeds along with information on agronomical practices to be followed.<\/p>\n

Bumper return<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unconvinced by the claims of the researchers, some of the farmers discarded the seed pouches; but a handful of Mysuru farmers planted them.\u00a0Farmer Madappa (62) sowed chia in a quarter-of-an-acre while in the rest of his 15 acres he continued with tobacco, sugarcane, cotton and millet. After three-and-a-half months, he harvested 80 kg of chia seeds and gifted it back to CFTRI.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I have been earning from chia is in no way comparable to what I get from all the other crops put together,\u201d Madappa told\u00a0VillageSquare.in.<\/a>\u00a0\u201cI grow chia in about five acres. I harvest nearly four quintal per acre and receive between Rs 150 and Rs 200 per kg. In off-season it\u2019s nearly Rs 300 per kg.\u201d<\/p>\n

On an average, farmers harvest about 8-10 quintals of ragi (finger millet) per acre with cultivation costs ranging between\u00a0Rs 10,000 and\u00a0Rs 15,000. The cultivation costs of chia is a couple of hundred whereas the yields are 3 quintals an acre for the white variety and about 5 quintals for the black variety. While ragi fetches around\u00a0Rs 2,500 per quintal, white chia brings\u00a0Rs 22,500.<\/p>\n

Nutritional value<\/strong><\/p>\n

A plant of South American origin, chia (Salvia hispanica), a popular nutraceutical, is a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids and is gaining popularity across the world because of its nutrition value. Chia seeds contain slightly fewer calories compared to flax. It has more fibre and contains 1.5 \u2013 2 times more of the bone-strengthening minerals calcium and phosphorus, as well as slightly more iron.<\/p>\n

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Farmers like Madappa of Bidarahallihundi village find returns from chia cultivation much more than that from other crops<\/em><\/p>\n

Elaborating on chia\u2019s importance in our diets, Rajasekharan said that unlike flax seeds, it does not contain anti-nutrients like cyanogenic glycosides. \u201cSecondly, since 2000, India has been witnessing increased use of sunflower oil, which has resulted in a drastic imbalance of the essential fatty acids with more intake of omega-6 fatty acids,\u201d he told\u00a0VillageSquare.in.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe encountered stiff opposition from the public at large and the research community for introducing an alien crop, and not promoting traditional millets,\u201d recollected Rajasekharan. \u201cThese are the people who don\u2019t know that millets originally came from Ethiopia.<\/p>\n

A plant that prefers shorter light periods, chia is sown after June-July or in October-November. Chia would be harvested by March, as being practiced by the Mysuru farmers for the past five years. What began as an experiment with a handful of farmers has increased to chia being grown in over 300 acres involving 200 cultivators.<\/p>\n

Assisted by CFTRI, chia growers formed the Raithamitra FPC in 2014 and presently have 1,200 members. It promotes cultivation of chia, with a buyback offer. From vegetables and food grains to fruits, Raithamitra buys produce from farmers and sells them to entrepreneurs. Having recently launched chia seeds for supermarkets, it plans to launch chia oil, which is likely to retail for Rs 6,000 for 100gms<\/p>\n

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