What It Is
Poha (flattened rice) and murmura (puffed rice) are two of India's oldest processed rice products, used for breakfast, snacks, bhel and offerings.
How It Is Made
For poha, paddy is soaked, roasted and flattened between rollers, then dried and sieved into thin, medium and thick grades. For murmura, parboiled rice is heated in hot sand or a roaster so that it puffs.
Uses and Buyers
Households, street-food vendors, namkeen makers and caterers. Indori poha and Kolkata jhalmuri depend on them.
Quality and Standards
Graded by thickness, whiteness, breakage and freedom from husk. Food products must meet FSSAI standards and labelling rules; many are also sold under the AGMARK grading mark, and exporters follow the buying country's rules on residues and contaminants.
Trade and Exports
Poha mills are concentrated in the rice belts of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and puffed rice units across West Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Exports go mainly to the Gulf and diaspora markets.
Where the Raw Material Comes From
Processors buy rice from the main growing states below. Plants are usually built close to these belts, or close to ports for imported raw material, to keep freight low and quality fresh. Tap a state for its districts, markets, season and buyers.
| State | Main districts |
|---|---|
| West Bengal | Bardhaman, Bankura, Medinipur, Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum |
| Uttar Pradesh | Gorakhpur, Basti, Ayodhya, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur |
| Punjab | Sangrur, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga |
| Haryana | Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Ambala, Yamunanagar |
| Andhra Pradesh | East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Nellore |
| Telangana | Nalgonda, Suryapet, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Khammam, Kamareddy |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa, Dhamtari, Mahasamund |
| Odisha | Bargarh, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Balasore, Cuttack, Puri |
| Tamil Nadu | Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tiruchirappalli |
| Bihar | Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxar, Aurangabad, Gaya, West Champaran |
| Assam | Nagaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Golaghat, Jorhat |
| Karnataka | Mandya, Shivamogga, Davangere, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari |
| Kerala | Palakkad, Alappuzha (Kuttanad), Thrissur |
| Jharkhand | Gumla, Ranchi, Simdega, Dumka, Sahibganj |
| Madhya Pradesh | Balaghat, Jabalpur, Rewa, Satna, Katni |
| Maharashtra | Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Raigad |
| Manipur | Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur |
| Tripura | West Tripura, Gomati, Unakoti, Dhalai |
| Nagaland | Dimapur, Peren, Mon, Wokha |
| Meghalaya | West Garo Hills, Ri Bhoi, West Jaintia Hills |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Lower Subansiri (Ziro), East Siang, Papum Pare |
Makers, Processors and Bodies
- Tata Consumer Products LtdTata Sampann pohaAboutExplore
- BigBasket (Supermarket Grocery Supplies Pvt Ltd)Online groceryAboutExplore
Related: Rice · All products · All crops
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