Indore: Poha manufactured in Chhattisgarh and Bihar is eating away the market share of regional units due to low cost amid increasing supply in local markets.Poha manufacturers of Ujjain are facing stiff competition from Chhattisgarh and Bihar adversely affecting their sales locally and across the country.“Our production has stagnated for the past few years because market is gradually taken over by Chhattisgarh and Bihar. Poha manufactured in those states are much economical than ours because of easy and cheap availability of raw material,” said Ujjain’s Poha Parmal Nirmata Sangh president Girish Kumar Maheshwari.The raw material for poha is paddy and Chhattisgarh and Bihar are the leading producer of rice in the country.Baffled by rising competition from these states and vanishing markets, the association has demanded the state government to put tax on poha coming from other states in MP.Poha manufactured in Ujjain is supplied across the country while MP is also a huge market for poha as it is a very famous breakfast menu in the state.Maheshwari said, “With rising competition our markets are shrinking at a rapid pace. To save our industry we are seeking intervention of the state government and have demanded to tax poha coming in the state from other states.”Manufacturers said despite chemical-free poha manufactured in Ujjain, supplies from other states is finding market in the country because of economical prices.Shailendra Rathi, a poha manufacturer from Ujjain said, “Poha manufactured in Ujjain is free from any chemical and colour unlike in other states where colour, stone water and hydro water is used.”The association levies Rs 1 lakh fine on any manufacturer caught mixing any foreign item in poha during manufacturing.There are about 35 poha manufacturing mills in Ujjain that produces about 100 tonne to 150 tonne of poha per day.

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