Roots and Tuber Festival on Feb. 10 and 11

Mysore/Mysuru: Sahaja Samrudha in association with Rotary Club of Mysore West has organised Roots and Tuber Festival on Feb. 10 and 11 at Nanjaraj Bahadur Choultry, Vinobha road in the city, from 10.30 am to 8 pm.

Titular king of Mysuru Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will inaugurate the Mela. Rtn. G.K Sudheendra, President, Rotary Club of Mysore West, will preside.

N.M. Shaji of Kedaram Tuber Conservation, Wayanad, Kerala will be the chief guest. He will be displaying 150 varieties of rare tubers. Many local communities preserve various varieties even to this day. They display a remarkable knowledge of the edible tubers that they gather or grow on the farms.

Several of these crops have been termed as being under-exploited and thus deserve more research input. In fact, they remain neglected.

The focus of this festival would be to sensitise the urban community towards the benefits of tuber consumption and explore more value addition and include them into the cultivation.

More than 30 groups are bringing different kind of tubers, food items and value added products for display and sale.

Rare roots and tubers like air potato, purple yam, black turmeric and arrow root seed material will be available for sale.

Cooking Contest

‘Cooking with Tubers’, a cooking contest has also been organised on Feb.11 at 12 noon to introduce its nutritional value to the younger generation who have a fad for junk foods.

The festival serves as a platfor m to celebrate our agricultural heritage, promote food diversity, and foster community resilience in the face of global challenges.