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Tuber crops of the soil

Last Updated 24 November 2014, 18:44 IST

Western Ghats are particularly rich in wild relatives of tuber crops. Tuber crops not only enrich the diet of the villagers in this region, but also possess medicinal properties to cure many ailments or at least check their incidence. The eco-nomically and socially important tropical tuber crops are cassava (Manihot esculenta), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), yams (Dioscorea alata, D.esculenta and D.rotundata), aroids which include “elephant foot” yam, taro, tannia, and other minor tuber crops, namely arrow root, yam bean and canna are grown more in the Belgaum and Uttara Kannada districts. The leafy upper portion of the colocasia tuber is edible and is locally known as kesu.

Recently, a tuber crop mela was organised, by Sanjivani Trust, at the taluk headquarters of Joida, which is the second largest taluk of the state. One among the eleven taluks in the Uttara Kannada, Joida has a total of 82 per cent forestland that consists of rare flora and fauna. Naturally, tuber crops find an important place in the dietary habits and food security of marginal farmers and tribal population. In fact, every village along the Western Ghats grows tuber crops in a small veggie patch, if not in an agriculture land. They are planted in the rich, fertile soil of this region, at the start of monsoon, in June or July. For colocasia (kesu), loose soil is
preferred. For yams, dried sticks are used as support for the growing climbers.

Interestingly, these tubers have great demand in Goa. Naturally, Ramnagar, a rehabilitated small town on the Hubli-Goa National Highway, has become a major tuber-growing and marketing centre for the Joida taluk. Every Sunday, villagers from the surrounding villagers gather here to sell the tubers they have grown. Many people travelling to Belgaum and Goa, via this route, purchase them in large
quantities.

Ravi Redkar, a local knowledge bank in Joida, opines, “Given the demand for this local produce, there is a need for an integrated approach on biodiversity
conservation, value addition and good market facitlities for these tubers.” Ravi has a point. The indigenous technical knowledge held by the tribals and ethnic groups in Joida forests is a valuable resource integrated with bio-diversity, and this has been already documented by the CUBROID for harnessing local biodiversity better.

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(Published 24 November 2014, 12:43 IST)

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