Mangaluru embracing organic products

December 08, 2014 07:57 am | Updated 07:57 am IST - MANGALURU:MANGALURU:

People purchasing organic products at theSwavalambi Santhe at Pandeshwar in Mangaluruon Sunday.  Photo: H.S. Manjunath

People purchasing organic products at theSwavalambi Santhe at Pandeshwar in Mangaluruon Sunday. Photo: H.S. Manjunath

The Swavalambi Santhe, a monthly shandy day being organised in Mangaluru, appears to have caught on as a concept with people buying organic products — vegetables in particular, in good measure.

The sellers who are part of the venture, told The Hindu on Sunday that many people had already booked their products in advance over the phone. The latest Santhe was held at Vedam Ayu Ayurveda Hospital, Pandeshwara. It is held at a different location each time.

Tastier items

“I had brought some 20 kg of ribbed gourd. It is sold out,” said Ramanna K. of Kaniyoor in Belthangady taluk at 2 p.m. He and Narasimha Mayya of Bantwal taluk say shandy days are here to stay. Though growers were few, the demand had been rising, said Mr. Mayya, who, along with his friends, run an exclusive outlet at B.C. Road for organically grown products.

People were realising that organic products were tastier and healthier despite being costlier, the two growers observed. Mr. Mayya and his friends grow organic products in two farms five acres each in size.

Mr. Mayya’s wife, Jyothi Mayya, said the red spinach (leafy vegetable) grown on her farm was in high demand. Initially she told buyers that it was good for curry but people now tell her how they could make tasty sambar, chutney and other items from it. “It is usually sold out in the first half hour,” she said.

The growers have been coming to fortnightly shandy days organised on P.M. Road Road which too has contributed to the increasingly popularity of organic products.

From the Herbarium

The products from the government-funded Arboretum at Pilikula Biological Park, is the latest addition to the shandy. You could try mango-ginger (curcuma amda) or Indian Pennywort locally known as Ondelaga (centella asiatica) and Pulav Ele or Lemon Grass from its stall. And the products are affordable. For Rs. 10 you could about 200 grams of mango-ginger.

The next monthly Santhe will be held at ‘Swami Kripa’ Kadi Kambala on January 4.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.