The return of ‘naati’ ragi

Thanks to a farmers' initiative, Karnataka now has around 80 desi varieties of finger millet to choose from

A group of farmers and members of women’s self-help groups have gathered at Eshwar Gouda Patil’s field to celebrate ‘Ragi Field Day’.

This farm in Mattighatta village, in Dharwad’s Kundagol taluk, has as many as 72 varieties of ragi (finger millet), cultivated on half an acre of land, leaves visitors awestruck.

Kumara Naidu, a farmer visiting from Bhadravathi, is astonished at seeing the jenugoodu ragi variety, which he only recalls seeing in his childhood.

Lakshminarayana, a farmer from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, reminisces, “We used to cultivate nalla kaddi ragalu long ago. I am excited to see this variety now, after 30 long years.”

For Reddappa, pichcha kaddi ragalu and gutta kindala ragalu are simply the names he had heard from his ancestors. Lakshmi Harijan of Hanumanahalli village couldn’t stop gushing at the thick corns in full bloom.

Community initiative

With increasing awareness about the health benefits of millets, ragi consumption is picking up in urban areas. Farmers in the village with support from various organisations and the Hanumanahalli community seed bank decided to get farmers to cultivate 80 desi varieties of ragi.

Eshwar Gouda Patil, a young, enthusiastic farmer, was roped in to translate the idea into action. Patil is credited with re-introducing baragu (Proso millet) in North Karnataka when he successfully cultivated in his fields seven years ago.

Eighty varieties of ragi seeds (including 39 varieties of ragi collected by Sahaja Samruddha, 40 by the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad, and one by the National Gene Bank, New Delhi) were preserved in the nursery in the first week of July.

Eight of the 80 varieties failed to germinate.

The remaining 72 which germinated were shifted to Patil’s half-acre plot and were nurtured with cow dung manure and Jeevamrutha.

Soon several regional ragi varieties — iyyana ragi from Mandya, hainu ragi from Tumakuru, gidda ragi from Kolar, unde ragi from Haveri, jagaluru ragi from Bengaluru Rural, hullupore ragi from Ramanagar, gutte kelagina ragi from Chikkaballapur, mooru thingala tene ragi from Shivamogga, and the uganda variety with purple corns — stood swaying in the field.

Tracing Ragi’s history

In 1800, British Botanist Francis Buchanan, on his journey from Madras to Malabar, visited the Mysuru kingdom. He has documented that, “Ragi is the staple food of people here. The black, red and the Hullu Pore variety of Ragi is cultivated in large quantities, along with main crops like beans, castor, niger, sorghum, tur and cowpea.”

In 1920, Leslie Coleman the first director of the Agriculture Department, Mysore, stated that different types of finger millets were cultivated in the old Mysuru region. The Mysuru Panchanga, published during the pre-Independence era, also has references to the hainu and kaaru ragi.

Farmers used to cultivate hundreds of local ragi varieties, but these soon disappeared with the arrival of the high-yielding indaf variety of ragi.

In later years, the Agriculture department started distributing seeds of high-yielding ragi varieties at subsidised rates, and commercial crops like maize, cotton and groundnuts gained an upper hand, further leading to these varieties vanishing.

Presently, Karnataka is home to 85% of the total ragi produced in the world. Now, with the state government opening ragi procurement centres and purchasing Rs 3,339 per quintal from the farmers and linking it to the public distribution system, there is a remarkable increase in the number of farmers opting for ragi cultivation.

Fruits of labour

Nishant Bankapur, a researcher who has evaluated the 72 varieties in coordination with Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network, said, “Each variety differs from the other and all are suitable for cultivation.”

Farmers, who had registered their names for the participatory varietal selection, chose the varieties of ragi they were interested in. Their feedback and opinion were also collected. Participatory varietal selection is a process that involves the active participation of farmers in identifying and choosing the varieties that meet their requirements.

Dr Sooganna from the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad, said, the institute will offer the necessary support to start a Ragi Seed Bank.

Dr Ashoka P, head, Hanumanamatti Krishi Vijnana Kendra, Haveri district, advised the farmers to adopt the Guli Ragi method of cultivation (square method of finger millet transplanting) for a higher yield, instead of the conventional method.

For gastronomical delights

As part of the event, the self-help group members exhibited sweets, savouries, breakfast, lunch and supper options, that included halwa, happalas and sandiges, dose, roti, mudde, laddu, chakkulis, idlis, paddu, hurihittu, etc., all made from Ragi.

“We are amazed by the versatility of ragi which is also nutritious. It will find a special place on my kitchen shelf,” said Rathna Prakash Hosalli, a local farmer.

Muttu Ramaji, a young farmer from nearby Hanumanahalli said, “There is a need to popularise all the 72 varieties to the world which knows only a few high yielding varieties.”

There is a need to encourage people to engage in seed conservation. The task is incomplete if seeds just remain in the Gene Bank. Efforts should be made to bring them to the fields.

One can contact Eshwar Gouda Patil on 89710 50999.

(Translated by Jyotsna P Dharwad)