Tamil Nadu: Karur cooperative to market nutritious ‘karuppu kavuni’ rice under mullai brand

By D Vincent Arockiaraj

 Aiming to promote indigenous grains known for their high nutritional value and health benefits, the cooperative department in Karur has planned to sell the traditional rice variety, ‘karuppu kavuni’ through its department stores under an exclusive brand name, Mullai, through Cooperative Marketing Societies (CMS). A few progressive farmers from Kulithalai in Karur, who are also members of the cooperative society, are cultivating quality karuppu kavuni paddy using organic methods.

They have come forward to sell their produce at a reasonable price. Consequently, officials from the cooperative department have decided to market it through five cooperative department stores in Karur, said P Kandharaja, joint registrar of the cooperative department, Karur.

“We came to know that a few farmers from Kulithalai are cultivating this traditional variety on a larger scale. Despite its health benefits, they have been struggling to market it. So, we decided to procure the rice and sell it through our department stores under our own brand, Mullai. We are already selling ragi flour, wheat flour, and cooking oil under the same brand, which was created exclusively for the Karur cooperative department,” he added.

In the open market, one kg of karuppu kavuni rice is sold at around Rs 170. “As farmers have come forward to sell it at a reasonable price, we can fix a rate lower than the open market. Initially, we plan to procure half a tonne of this rice for branding,” Kandharaja added. Under Mullai brand, the cooperative department in Karur is already selling cooking oil, ragi flour and wheat flour.

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.