Posts filed under ‘Mahua’
Jam and chocos from mahua soon: Good news for western Odisha
BALANGIR: There’s more to mahua than a pleasant headiness. The addictive bloom will now be used to make breakfast essentials like jam and jelly. Chocolates and pickles could also be sourced from the intoxicating flower.
Nearly 90 per cent of mahua, which is grown primarily in western Orissa, was being used for the production of country liquor. But now the SC-ST development department and Agriculture Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (APICOL), will be exporting mahua to European countries for making pickles, jelly, chocolate and jam.
Experts from IIT, Kharagpur and IIT, Delhi will train mahua pluckers as to how to collect the flower and ready its components for the export market.
APICOL chairman Balakrushna Ratha said they have got the Central Union Certification (CUC) for exporting mahua raw materials. “We had a meeting with CUC officials recently and put forth this issue as result of which we got the permission to export the mahua,” said Ratha.
He said this effort is primarily aimed at alleviating the economic conditions of marginal farmers and the landless poor of the KBK region.
“On a pilot basis, we have started this programme of training mahua collectors in Balangir, Padampur and Koraput. There will also be SHGs which will be entrusted with the collection work in a scientific way,” said Rath.
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 