Broccoli, the rich man’s cauliflower, is now a must-have in Ranchi’s winter veggie basket.

Even till last year, Ranchi used to import broccoli, Brassica oleracea, from New Delhi. A total of 100 quintals a week used to chug along in three installments from the national capital. The elite used to buy it at over Rs 100 per kg.

This year, the demand for the vitamin and iron rich florets has grown five fold. Prices range between Rs 40 and Rs 60 a kg at Kutchery Chowk, as broccoli is farmed at nearby Bedo, Rukka and Patratu.

“The winter crop is enjoying unprecedented popularity in Ranchi,” said National Horticulture Mission state director Prabhakar Singh. “We are growing 500 quintals of broccoli this season. Our cool weather is suitable for its farming,” Singh added.

“Instead of cabbage, this winter we are buying broccoli. It’s versatile, healthy and used in a variety of dishes, including salads,” said homemaker Ritu Prasad. “I’ve heard it helps cure cancer,” she smiled, when asked why she had become a broccoli-addict.

High in vitamin C and dietary fibre, medical research has proven that broccoli has multiple nutrients with anti-cancer properties such as diindolylmethane, selenium, glucoraphanin and indole-3-carbinol. Benefits of broccoli are, however, greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled.

Vegetable vendor Ravi Kumar at Kutchery Chowk said he sold around 5kg of broccoli everyday. “Its consumption is increasing daily. It’s a new phenomenon,” he said.

Vendor Vimla Devi said she procured broccoli from farmers near Rukka dam.

“I didn’t even know about it. But farmers told me to sell it to the city people. To my utter surprise, it sold instantly. Now, I sell locally grown mushrooms and corn too, though I don’t understand what they are,” she laughed.

Jitendra Singh, agriculture head of NGO Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra, said they grew broccoli on their farm at Rukka and had trained 25 farmers at Bedo, Patratu and Rukka. “Our next batch of broccoli will enter the markets in a fortnight,” Singh said.