Puffed rice makers struggle as rising costs, falling demand hit hard

By Aravind Raj

Ahead of Ayudha Puja and Vijayadashami , puffed rice (Pori) makers are disappointed due to a huge dip in the demand and spike in rice prices.

Along with roasted groundnut and Bengal gram, puffed rice is an essential part of prayers during the festival.

Puffed rice is made from a special variety of rice called Lalat, which is procured from Kolkata.

It is soaked in water for some time and then left to dry in the sun for about 10-12 hours. Then it is roasted with sand for about 30-45 minutes in about 190-210 degrees celsius. In this process, the puffed rice is obtained and later the sand is filtered and removed.

Neelamani, a puffed rice manufacturer for four decades from Karamadai, told TNIE, “Every year during this festive season, we used to burn the midnight oil to make pori to meet the demand. In the past, we manufactured and sent over 5,000 bags of pori to traders. However, this year we barely sent 2,000 sacks and the other bags are lying here without buyers. The demand for puffed rice has drastically dropped since the Covid-19 pandemic.”

She added that it used to be a tradition for companies to buy puffed rice and give it to employees in small bags during Ayudha Puja. However, it has stopped over the past years. Also, with people moving to junk and fast food items, the number of pori manufacturers has come down to a mere three from 50 in this region.

She further said, “Spike in the price of rice has also affected the makers this year. Earlier, one kilogram of rice which is used to make pori cost about Rs 32 but it has increased to Rs 50. However, the price of Pori has not increased. Around 100 tonnes of Lalat rice was brought to Coimbatore in four trucks. Due to the dip in demand, all the rice bags as well as the puff rice have been stacked up.”

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express