With the growing consciousness among people on healthy diet, the millet appears to have taken to menu at a sizeable number of households and the new trend is evident from the increasing footfalls at the store selling millets in the city.

Call it super markets, general groceries or designated organic outlets at Rythu Bazaars in the city, the new liking for the millets is fathomable from the spurt in the number of people purchasing them.

Pay a visit to the organic millet counters at the MVP Rythu Bazaar and the traders say they have been doing a good business for the past few months.

 Even the high prices are no deterrent even to the average middle class customer. We have been buying jonnalu and ragulu grown through natural farming practices for the past few years. Since the past few months, we have started purchasing  chiru dhanyalu   too as they have high nutritive value,  says K.V.P.S. Achari, a resident of Sector-III, MVP Colony.

 Protein deficiency is growing among vegetarians. I have been watching several programmes on Youtube and learnt about the benefits of millets,  he adds.

Korralu, varigalu, samalu, arikalu, oodalu and andra koralu are the popular millets that are being sold at MVP Rythu Bazaar and their price ranges between ₹80 and ₹200 a kg. These are used as a substitute to normal paddy rice.

Brisk business

 In the past, customers were asking only for a few natural produces such as jonnalu, ragulu, pesalu, ulavalu and bobbarlu. Now, we are unable to cater to the spurt in demand for millets, says Marika Shankar of Killoguda, who has been selling millets at the Rythu Bazaar for the last 14 years.

A native of Killoguda village of Dumbriguda mandal in Visakhapatnam district, Mr. Shankar procures the stock from Araku. He was seen explaining to a woman customer on the time required for soaking of different varieties of millets, method of cooking and their health benefits.

 We have been promoting organic products since 2001. There are more than 580 organic farmers who are growing vegetables and pulses in the Agency. They do not use fertilisers and chemical pesticides,  says Devullu Pachari, secretary of Sanjeevini and ZBNF State resource person.

 We have opened an organic products outlet at the Tribal Museum at Araku recently to promote organic products and millet recipes in a big way,  he adds.

 The five millet varieties – korralu, samalu, arikalu, andu korralu and oodalu – apart from thati bellam (palm jaggery), kusuma nune (sass flower oil), coconut oil, olive oil, groundnut oil, honey and cow ghee are in high demand since June this year,  says Ms. Sravani of Sumaja Ecowellness, an organic outlet, which has three branches in the city.