Idi chala hot guru! Spice, meat consumption goes up

Hyderabad: Telangana state tops all other states in consumption of spices and meat. Within Telangana, Jayashankar Bhupalpalli district tops others in consumption of meat.

According to a document on food consumption patterns prepared by Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University in coordination with the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the consumption of spice is about 635 grams per capita per month in Telangana. Among the spices, it is tamarind which is consumed followed by ginger. The average consumption of dry chillies is 96 grams per capita per month. Peddapalli consumes 215 grams per head per month.

Telangana is also a major non-vegetarian state. Here, average monthly consumption of non-vegetarian food stands at 1.38 kg per capita. Jayashankar Bhupalpally tops among the districts with 2 kg of meat per capita per month.

Of the meat that is taken as food, chicken takes the pride of the place with 40 per cent consumption. The average per capita monthly expenditure on food consumption in Telangana state is estimated to be Rs 2,156, including meat.

The report also found that the cereals which include rice, wheat, millets in one or other form are consumed at the rate of 12.5 kg per month by each individual in the state. The consumption share of rice across districts is more than 70%. 

The consumption of jowar, maize, ragi and bajra is the highest in the districts of Adilabad (2.5 kg per capita per month), Kamareddy (670 gm), Wanaparthy (350 gm) and Jogulamba (140 gm). In Nagarkurnool and Yadadri districts, the consumption of cereals is as high as 17.4 kg, while in relatively more urbanised districts like Medak, Mancherial and Hyderabad, the per capita monthly cereal consumption is less than 11 kg. The per capita monthly consumption of pulses altogether stands at 1.75 kg in the state. Pulses in the state include arhar/ tur, gram (split), black chana, kabuli chana, cowpea, moong, urad, beans, lentil as well as their grounded products like besan.

In case of edible oil, 1.22 litre per capita per month is the consumption level. The monthly per capita consumption of milk is estimated to be 4.6 litres, where Rajanna and Khammam districts top milk consumption with 6.27 litres and 5.48 litres per capita per month respectively. The consumption of sugar and other sweeteners like jaggery, in the state, is 890 gm per capita per capita per month. Komaram Bheem and Adilabad consume sweeteners at the rate of 1.2 kg per capita per month, the report says.

This report has attempted to create a comprehensive database of food consumption across districts in the state of Telangana and could be effectively used by policy-makers, researchers, business agencies and other stakeholders to strengthen and match the production and consumption patterns in the state. 

“This is the first time we conducted the study and we shall be coming up regularly to better understanding of the food habits of the Telangana's population,” said Dr Velchala Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU).