How Tamil Nadu’s farmers revived heritage rice varieties over decades

The past two years have seen a surge in the demand for heritage rice in the State. This Pongal, we look at the decades-long movement behind this revival, and the farmers, researchers and entrepreneurs who affected change at the grassroots

“At the Organic Farmers Market (OFM) Chennai, we sold 100 tonnes of 91 different varieties of heritage rice in the last two years,” says Ananthoo, founder, OFM. Radhika Augustus, of the city-based Heritage Essentials, adds that their sales of heritage rice doubled in 2021.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, it has resulted in people making more thoughtful food choices. This Pongal, many traditional farmers are celebrating the city’s growing enthusiasm for heritage rice. Though this surge of interest has been especially visible over the past two years, stakeholders point out that this movement has been almost two decades in the making, across Tamil Nadu and beyond.