The Forest department has launched a project to restore the traditional tuber crop farming practices among tribal communities in the Marayur Sandalwood Division in Idukki.
Narum Nooru is a project aimed to revive the cultivation of purple yam (kachil), colocasia, elephant foot yam, nooron kizhangu, and other tuber crops. Officials say the project will also provide additional income to tribal farmers.
Marayur Divisional Forest Officer M.G. Vinod Kumar says tuber crops such as nooron kizhangu and purple yam were once staples in the diet of tribal communities but have gradually disappeared over time, with many of the seeds lost.
“Our aim is to revive the cultivation of these traditional tuber crops among the tribal community,” he says.
Besides, the produce can be sold by farmers through Chilla, the department’s exclusive tribal market, which operates in Marayur on Thursdays. “In the past five years, koorka (Chinese potato), a popular item in the tribal market, has been sold through the tribal market fetching about ₹3.5 crore.”
Officials say if the tuber crop farming succeeds, it will provide better income to tribal communities while also ensuring access to organic traditional foods.
Initially, tuber crop cultivation will be piloted at the Kammalamkudy and Oonjapara tribal settlements, with plans to expand it to all 24 settlements under the forest division the following year. Officials plan to revive over 40 varieties of kachil within a year as part of the project.
Harichandran Kani, head of Kammalamkudy tribal settlement, says tuber crop farming is planned in a large area for the coming year, with funds to be sourced through the Vana Samrakshana Samiti (VSS).
Lakshmi, a 78-year-old farmer from Oonjamparakudy, says nooran kizhangu, vettilavelli kizhangu, kattu kizhangu, and violet kizhangu were once staple food in the tribal community. She expressed hope that the project will help revive the food habits.
In 2017, the department had launched Punarjeevanam, a project aimed at revitalising traditional millet farming in the tribal settlements near Marayur, with great success.
The project was officially inaugurated at Marayur on Saturday.
