Omalloor Krishi Vaibhavam, the biggest agrarian fair in South Kerala, is a powerful reminder of our roots

Omalloor Krishi Vaibhavam, the biggest agrarian fair in South Kerala, is a powerful reminder of our roots

Tubers in myriad shapes, colours and size fill up every available space at Omalloor Krishi Vaibhavam market, just behind the panchayat office at Omalloor, about five kilometres from Pathanamthitta. It spills out of shops into sidewalks, alleys and streets. I seek the help of Gopalakrishnan, manning one of the outlets, to identify some of the tubers.

He reels off the names effortlessly in one breath. “Chena (yam), paal chembu and mutta chembu (two kinds of colocasia), kaachil (elephant foot yam), madhura kizhangu (sweet potato), valli kizhangu (white yam), nana kizhangu (lesser yam), koorkka (Chinese potato), manjal (turmeric), kooravu (arrowroot), inji (ginger), manga inji (mango ginger), kappa (tapioca)....”

Explaining the profusion of tubers in the market, Gopalakrishnan says that according to the agrarian calendar followed in Kerala, the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February-March) is when tubers are harvested and the season to plant a new crop. By Meenam (March-April) in the Malayalam calendar, farmers start buying planting material for the next season.

In addition to tubers, many of the shops have sacks filled with chips and chunks of something white, cream and yellow in colour. “These are sun-dried tapioca chips. Some are raw tapioca that have been chopped into slivers or small chunks and then dried in the sun. Some have been cooked and then chopped for drying. That explains the variations in colour,” he explains, adding that these could be used for cooking any time.   

Agriculture Officer Smitha V says farmers from neighbouring districts of Kollam and Kottayam and even from Ernakulam and Idukki come to the market to get good quality tubers for planting.

The pungent aroma of spices fills the air as sackfuls of Kerala’s famous spices are up for sale in some of the shops. Brothers Manikandan and Azhakeshan who are following in their father’s footsteps say the spices are sourced from Idukki. Cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper, stone mace, cinnamon, sesame seeds… They also have varieties of jaggery from sugarcane and palm, including palm jaggery blended with dried ginger to make chukku kaapi (a beverage made with the jaggery).

Inside the market, it is the abundance of agricultural produce, implements for farming, black and red pots in myriad shapes for cooking, reed baskets, planting material, saplings, organic potting material etc that catch the eye. Also on sale are grinding stones, wooden para (traditional measure used to measure grains), wooden stopper used to drain rice, etc. What is interesting is that most of it is handmade. Yes, there are not-very-pretty plastic winnowing baskets and baskets too in addition to the usual collection of garments and accessories. All the traders camp here till the one-month fair concludes.