Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, MP for Mysuru, called upon people to adopt traditional food practices, including consumption of cold-pressed (gaana) cooking oils.
Speaking after inaugurating the bullock-driven oil press at the three-day Desi Oil Mela organised by Sahaja Samrudha and Desiri Naturals at the Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry in Mysuru on Friday, Mr. Yaduveer emphasised the need for people to revive traditional food habits and practices, including the consumption of desi oils, to protect their health, which has taken a backseat amid the technological and economic progress in the society.
“We need to regain our health by adopting traditional foods. Using cold-pressed (gaana) oils should be the first step in this direction,” he said.
Linking the practices of urban areas to the rural economy, Mr. Yaduveer said the patronage for traditional oils in urban areas can also encourage tobacco farmers to shift to oilseed cultivation.
He pointed out that tobacco was cultivated in many areas around Mysuru, like Hunsur, Periyapatna, H.D. Kote, Arakalgud, etc, even though the farmers themselves do not smoke. The tobacco cultivated in these regions is either exported to foreign countries or used to manufacture cigarettes smoked by well-off and affluent sections of the society in urban areas.
If urban areas adopt good practices like consuming desi oils, it will can help “revolutionise” the rural economy and wean farmers away from ‘sinful’ crops, he said.
Mr. Yaduveer urged Giridhar Parvatam, director, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), who was present on the occasion, to research the nutritional properties of gaana oil.
If studies conducted by such a premier food laboratory can show how the nutritional properties of gaana oils are superior to the cooking oils produced by the industries, the general public will understand its health benefits, he said.
Mr. Giridhar Parvatam, who released oil bottles developed by Desiri Naturals, said there is currently a good market for ‘ghani’ and cold-pressed in India compared to a decade ago.
“The demand for cold-pressed oils has surged, with the Indian cold-pressed oil market generating $2,428.8 million in 2024 as consumers seek chemical-free, minimally processed options. However, it is just 40-45% of edible oils in the domestic sector. To meet this huge gap between supply and demand in edible oils, our country imported 16.5 million tonnes of edible oils in 2022-2023’’.
He suggested that the farmers should capture these markets directly by supplying the cold-pressed oils that help them get more profits. He mentioned the authentic flavours and aroma of ghani-based extracted edible oils, their versatile uses, and the importance of various biactives present in such cold-pressed oils.
Precision medicine scientist Dr. Mamatha Shekhar, who was present on the occasion, said there is good international demand for cottage industry products. “In the United States, gaana oils are in high demand, but export standards are stringent, preventing small entrepreneurs from becoming exporters. The government should cooperate to simplify these standards,” Dr. Shekhar added.
In his introductory address, G. Krishna Prasad, director of Sahaja Samrudha, said, “Gaana oils traditionally produced from oilseeds such as niger seed, sesame, safflower, castor, and flax—once commonly cultivated by farmers—have disappeared. This has adversely affected both rural economies and consumer health. To create awareness about the importance of gaana oils, the government should organise Desi Oil Melas and include gaana oils in the public distribution system”.
Earlier, the Desi Oil Mela was inaugurated by Mantayyaswamy Math and Kappadi Kshetra Mathadipathi Srikantha Siddalinga Rajeya Urs.
Published – January 09, 2026 07:07 pm IST
