A traditional farm launches a mobile app that lets customers place orders for the rice.

A mobile app that lets one order Palakkadan Matta rice has been launched.

Tapping into the popularity of the rice variety, which has a distinct taste, among Malayalis, a traditional farm cultivating the Palakkadan Matta has launched the mobile application, making the rice accessible to gourmets anywhere in the country.

Daksh Farm in Palakkad, which started receiving orders for the Palakkadan Matta rice a few weeks ago through its website, has now gone for the mobile application to make the rice more popular and accessible.

People across the country can now download the farm app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonegap.bjp) and order the quantity of the rice they require.

It was only six years ago that the Palakkadan Matta got the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for being a rice variety with a distinct taste. Under the registry, there are 10 varieties of the Palakkadan Matta: Aryan, Aruvakkari, Chitteni, Chenkazhama, Chettadi, Thavalakanna, Eruppu, Poochamban, Vattan Jyothy, and Kunjukunj.

The Palakkadan Matta is described as a bold red rice with a unique taste because of the geographical area it is grown in and the peculiar weather there owing to the eastern wind. “The Daksh Farm was born out of our passion to protect the rich legacy of the Palakkadan Matta, which is stable and healthy. Owned and operated by our family with centuries of farming tradition, the farm was christened Daksh only recently. We are selling the whole grain brown rice through our website and app,” says Prabhal Mohandas, an Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode graduate and co-grower of the farm.

“The rice is produced 100 per cent organically. We treat the soil, air, and water as important resources, respecting the delicate balance of nature. We are also committed to being a catalyst for positive change in our kitchens and our environment,” he says. Apart from the whole grain Matta rice, the farm also distributes Matta rice powder, whole grain Matta rice flakes, and rice ‘frylets.’ Hay can also be ordered online.

“In whole grain Matta rice, the rice is not polished after removing the outer layer. All the nutrients remain in the unpolished rice, whereas you don’t find any of them in polished rice. By polishing, all the useful ingredients are lost, leaving only the carbohydrate,” he says. The farm has tied up with India Post to make the rice available across India.