Business
March 12, 2021
HYDERABAD: Every year, Hajan Leghari, a farmer in Village Kandri near Jhudo, spares a small piece of land to cultivate kalonji (Nigella sativa) for its black seeds that have been being consumed as seasoning and as herbal medicine for the last 2000 years – it was found in the tomb of a pharaoh.
“Whenever harvest starts in March our relatives and family friends expect us to give them a little amount of black seeds for use,” Leghari said.
Families would keep kalonji in their kitchens for different purposes, mostly for its health benefits, he said.
Leghari said though agriculture was rapidly changing with the introduction of technology, hybrid seeds for crops, and high density varieties of fruits, some farmers were still cultivating these traditional crops, which needed little water and fertiliser.