While fluctuating prices of agricultural produce has been a matter of concern, farmers growing the famed Mattu Gulla (brinjal) in Udupi district are coming up with a co-operative solution to earn remunerative prices.
Farmers also hope that with the help of a cooperative society they would be able to market this vegetable to various places in the country and the Gulf.
This brinjal, which enjoys the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, is sought after because of its unique taste. Over 200 farmers grow this brinjal on about 500 acres in Mattu and surrounding hamlets such as Pangala, Kopla and Kaipunjal.
Mattu Gulla is mostly sold in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. The farmers do not get a good price for their produce due to the interference of middlemen. To deal with these problems, the Mattu Gulla Growers Association, which came into being a few years ago, has decided to form a Mattu Gulla Growers Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society.
“We will be getting the society registered in a month. The formation of the society will help us not only to market Mattu gulla and get a better price, but also provide loans, fertilizer, tillers and other facilities to the farmers,” said M. Lakshman, a farmer who cultivates this vegetable on an acre of land in Mattu.
The association also wants to introduce cold storage facilities. “We will forward the need for a cold storage and refrigerated vehicles to transport Mattu Gulla, to the government,” said K.A. Vijaykumar, Deputy Director of Horticulture.
“The society will take up the marketing of the brinjal variety from the next season,” said Mohan Rao, treasurer of the association.
Legendary plantMattu Gulla is a seasonal vegetable and its seeds are sown during September after the monsoon. The gulla is available from January to May. Legend has it that over 400 years ago, Sri Vadiraja (1480–1600) of Sode Mutt, one of the Ashta Mutts of Udupi, gave the seeds of this special brinjal to farmers of Mattu to cultivate.
