Red bhindi. Yes, you heard it right. Misrilal Rajput is growing red bhindi (ladyfinger or okra) and it’s more expensive than any bhindi has ever been.
Who Is Misrilal Rajput?
Misrilal Rajput is a farmer hailing from Madhya Pradesh. He lives in the Khajuri Kalan area in the Bhopal district of the state.
He claims to have bought the seeds of these red okras from an agricultural institute in Varanasi. He said, “I had purchased 1 kg of seeds from an agricultural research institute in Varanasi. I sowed them in the first week of July. In around 40 days, it started growing.”
Which Agricultural Institute Is Rajput Talking About?
A little research revealed the agricultural research institute in Varanasi that Rajput bought the seeds of the red okras from is the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), in all probability.
After 23 years of hard work, the scientists of IIVR have developed a new species of okras and have named it ‘Kashi Lalima’.
Also Read: Andhra Pradesh’s Natural Farming Model, Could Increase Sustainable Agriculture Practices In India
Red okras were earlier available in Western countries but not in India. But now because of the impressive research and hard work of the IIVR scientists, there is no need to import red okras from foreign countries anymore.
What’s So Special About These Okras?
At a first glance, the obvious uniqueness of these okras is their colour. While usually they are found green, the ones Rajput is growing are red in colour.
According to the farmer, the health benefits of these okras are manifold and more than the normal green ones.
What Are The Health Benefits?
Okras are very rich in folate, niacin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and zinc.
Their usual health benefits of green ones include helping weight loss, lowering cholesterol, controlling blood sugar level, maintaining good digestion, building immunity, improving anaemic condition, bettering eyesight and hair health and many more.
But according to Misrilal Rajput, the red okras offer additional health benefits than the normal ones and help in heart conditions. He said, “The ladyfinger that I grow is red in colour instead of its usual green colour. It is more beneficial and nutritious than green ladyfinger. It is extremely beneficial for people who are facing heart and blood pressure issues, diabetes, high cholesterol.”
Rajput assures that no harmful pesticides are used during the process of cultivation which is a huge plus.
How Expensive Are These Red Okras?
The average market price of these red okras sold by Rajput is 800 INR per kilogram while the green ones are generally sold in two digits per kg in most states.
Rajput stated, “This ladyfinger is 5-7 times more expensive than ordinary ladyfingers. It is being sold from Rs 75-80 to Rs 300-400 per 250 gram/500 gram in some malls.”
Image Sources: Google Images
Sources: Hindustan Times, ANI, AgroStar
Connect with the Blogger: Nandini Mazumder
This post is tagged under: agriculture in India, agriculture of India, what is agriculture, Indian agriculture, agriculture sector in India, agriculture minister of India, agriculture university in India, agriculture production in India, up agriculture, agriculture jobs, agriculture jobs in India, types of agriculture in India, agriculture department, importance of agriculture in India, icar, agriculture department of India
Also Recommended:
Pune Based FarmERP Brings Software To Agriculture; One Of The First Such Companies Worldwide
