Mysuru: Actor Akshata Pandavapura on Saturday urged people to encourage farmers by buying pulses grown by them directly and also to popularise the culture of pulses, as they are brand ambassadors of our food culture.
Speaking after inaugurating the two-day Desi Dal Mela at the Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry, she said that pulses, which are rich in nutrients, also play a vital role in traditional cooking, making sweets, and healthy drinks. "Hybrid seeds have disrupted the food traditions developed over generations. They lack both taste and flavour. We need to bring traditional pulses back into our kitchens," she emphasised.
She also said that pulse crops, part of the traditional Akkadi farming system preserved by rural women, ensured household food security until recent years.
Activist Beeja Mata Bibi Jan said that people used to grow various types of pulse crops under the traditional Akkadi system. "With the advent of commercial crops, this system disappeared, replaced by monoculture. Now people are forced to buy pulses for household use from the market. Consuming chemically grown pulses is not only ruining our health but also affecting our food chain system," she stated.
Sahaja Samrudha director Krishna Prasad urged the Indian govt to stop importing pulses from Africa and other countries. The state govt must ensure fair prices to farmers by procuring locally grown traditional pulses and distributing them through the public distribution system instead of importing, he said. Over 100 varieties of pulses are on display at the Desi Dal Mela.