Agricultural lands now have residential areas to meet the growing demand for homes; this has hit ponk production badly.
As winter tightens its grip on the state, Surtis are having a heard time finding ponk (raw jowar), a much-loved food during winter. December is already half over but the grain is available at only a few places.
The alarming dip in supply has led to a steep rise in price of ponk. Local people say that the fall in ponk output this year is mainly the result of fields, which were once cultivated for ponk, not producing the grain anymore. With realty prices in and around Surat shooting through the roof, what was once agricultural land now has residential apartments and houses.
“There were once fields from Rander-Jahangirpura to Olpad and from Katargam to Amroli. Now high-rise buildings stand on these fields. Today, only a handful of farmers are involved in ponk cultivation,” said Bharat Patel, a ponk seller at Adajan.
Patel has been selling ponk for the past 35 years. While ponk cultivation in Surat has gone down, Patel and other traders are bringing the grain from Bardoli, Valod, Navsari and other areas. However, the supply from these areas is not enough to meet the demand.
Ponk stalls are common in Surat during winters and can be found everywhere in the city. Delicacies like Ponk Vada and Ponk Patis are the most sought after delicacies besides plain ponk. Apart from Surat, the food is also in demand in other places in the region. Ponk is also exported for NRGs. According to dealers in Surat, the turnover in the ponk trade is more than Rs100 crore.
At present, Ponk prices are double what they were last year. "Last year, we sold ponk at Rs250-300 per kg but this year it is priced between Rs450 and Rs500 per kg. Owing to this, people are purchasing ponk in limited quantities," said Vasant Mali, a ponk stall owner at Ghod-Dod road. While sellers are bringing ponk from outside to manage business, Surtis find this 'imported' ponk tasteless.
"Original ponk tastes sweet and soft while what is available today does not have any taste and is hard to chew. I bought ponk and prepared the dish at home but no one in my family enjoyed it. I am still waiting for good quality ponk to arrive in the market," Rekha Shah, a resident of Athwalines, said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}