Superfood chia brings cheer to farmers

Chia seeds, popular among nutrition enthusiasts as a superfood, are slowly gaining ground in Karnataka.

The Mexican crop, known for its high nutrition and as a vegetarian source of the essential omega 3 fatty acid, is the new favourite of farmers in H D Kote taluk of Mysuru district.

“This year, we earned Rs 26,000 a quintal, a huge jump from Rs 10,000 we got last year. This four-month crop doesn’t require much maintenance as it is not affected by pests or diseases. We just sow the seeds and reap the harvest,” says D Radhakrishna, a farmer in Antarasanthe village of H D Kote taluk.

Chia seeds are one of the three new crops introduced by CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in 2016 to address the challenges of poor nutrition and climate change.

While the other two -- quinoa and teff -- are yet to take off, chia is grown in over 400 hectares in H D Kote taluk alone. The rain-fed, rabi-season crop which grows on semi-arid land, has spread to districts like Haveri, Ramanagara, Uttara Kannada, Chamarajanagar and Raichur. It is estimated that the crop is grown on over 10,000 acres across the state.

CFTRI director Sridevi Annapurna Singh says, “Chia, quinoa and teff are superfoods with high nutritive and nutraceutical value. While the annual production of chia has touched 5,000 tonnes, quinoa was not as successful as expected and the cultivation of teff is negligible.”

Dr P Ashok of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Haveri has a word of caution. “Though the cultivation of this crop is bringing good returns, farmers have no clue about the market,” he says.

Syed Aslam, a grower-cum-trader of chia agrees, “Some agents from Hyderabad control the market. They fix the price, and in some years the rates have dropped. We should be wary of this aspect,” he says.

“We have seen extreme price fluctuation in this crop. Two years back it went up to Rs 35,000 per quintal, and last year the prices dropped to Rs 10,000 per quintal. Now, the price is Rs 22,200.”

“Private companies are procuring seeds to use in ice creams, biscuits and juices. The seeds can also be consumed with water, coffee and other beverages,” says farmer leader Kurubur Shanthakumar.

Since chia is not a local crop, utilising it locally will be a challenge if it doesn’t get sold, says G Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samrudha. His organisation is working with chia growers to enable the adoption of this crop. “Generally new crops do not have diseases for the first few years. But they could attract pests and diseases in the future. Chia absorbs a lot of nutrients from the soil and the land may degrade with continuous cultivation,” he says.

The agriculture department initially supported chia growers through incentives. “The crop has adapted well to the local ecosystem. Considering the area under cultivation, many cotton growers have switched over to chia. But since this is the second crop, the kharif crop remains the same,” says Dr M Mahanteshappa, joint director of Agriculure, Mysuru.

He also added that VC Farm Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Mandya is coming up with cultivation guidelines for farmers.

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