Bringing to Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi “a rice bouquet” from Wayanad this Onam is Thirunelly Agri Producer Company (TAPCo), a collective of organic farmers.
“We have three varieties of rice —Wayanadan Thondi, Valiachennellu and Gandhakasala, and aval (beaten rice) made from Valiachennellu,” says Rajesh Krishnan, CEO of TAPCo. The basket containing five kilograms Thondi, three kilograms Valiachennellu and one kilogram each of Gandhakashala and aval rice costs ₹1,000 and will be delivered to your homes.
Valiachennellu from Wayanad
TAPCo, registered in March 2017 as a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO), works with nearly 100 organic farmers in Wayanad, who cultivate native varieties on 200 acres in Thirunelly, Noolppuzha and Mananthavady panchayats. Besides the three rice varieties in the bouquet, TAPCo has Njavara, Mullankaima and Paal Thondi rice varieties in its product range.
Gandhakasala rice from Wayanad
“Last year, during Onam, we sold a rice bouquet with all our six rice varieties. The response was overwhelming. We decided to cut down on the number this time since we felt that customers might get confused with too many varieties. Instead, we have gone for a new format with a table rice (Wayanadan Thondi), rice with medicinal values (Valiachennellu) and aromatic rice (Gandhakasala),” Rajesh says.
Wayanadan Thondi rice
Wayanadan Thondi, the long, red rice is par-boiled, has 60% bran and is used to prepare idli, dosa, puttu and appam. Valiachennellu, the full bran variety, is recommended for pregnant women and lactating mothers because of its rich iron content. TAPCo had distributed the variety in Thiruvananthapuram during this year’s Attukal Pongala in February.
‘Aval’ or beaten rice from Valiachennellu
“ Aval from Valiachennellu is our new product. As we all know, a combination of aval, jaggery and grated coconut is one of the most nutritious snacks,” Rajesh says.
White-coloured, fragrant Gandhakashala, a preferred variety to cook biriyani and ghee rice, can be used to prepare payasam as well. “So the bouquet has the rice varieties that can be used to make breakfast, lunch, dessert and a snack,” adds Rajesh.
The bouquets come with tags that give information about the properties of each variety and how to cook them.
Orders have to be placed by August 14 at 09995358205.
