Buckwheat in Nepal
Buckwheat [Faapar (फापर)] is native crop of temperate east Asia, that is, eastern site of Himalaya and southwestern China. It was introduced to Europe and American countries through immigrants. China, Russia, and USA are major producers and exporters of buckwheat and Japan is the main importer. Buckwheat is one of the major crops in high mountain of Nepal and cultivated in 61 out of 75 districts ranging from 60m to 4500m altitude, especially Rukum, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Dolakha, Solukhumbu, Kalikot, Kavre, and Okhaldhunga districts as well in the districts of Karnali zones of western Nepal. It is summer crop in hill (high altitude>1700 m asl), autumn and spring crop in mid-hills (600–1700 m asl), and winter crop in Terai. [1]
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), also known as common buckwheat, faapar, Japanese buckwheat and silver hull buckwheat is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. A related but bitter species, Fagopyrum tataricum, domesticated food plant common in Asia, but not as common in Europe or North America is also referred to as buckwheat. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat, as it is not a grass. Instead, buckwheat is related to sorrel, knotweed and rhubarb. Because its seeds are eaten and rich in complex carbohydrates, it is referred to as a pseudocereal. [2]
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| Country | Area Harvested (ha) | Production (tonnes) |
+---------+---------------------+---------------------+
| Nepal | 10,311 | 11,464 |
+---------+---------------------+---------------------+[3]Buckwheat is a very nutrient-rich, gluten-free plant source for a wealth of health benefits, including a boost in heart health, reduction in blood pressure, aid in weight loss, prevention of certain cancers, management of diabetes, improved digestion and cholesterol levels, and stronger immune system. Buckwheat gives higher calories and carbohydrates than the widely consumed wheat. It can easily serve as an excellent alternative to the traditional wheat. Buckwheat is a great source of dietary fibre, with 10g per 100g. It is another gluten-free food source. The grains compose of several polyphenolic antioxidant compounds such as rutin, tannins, and catechin. The rutin (extracted from the buckwheat leaves) is used as medicine to treat high blood pressure. Buckwheat is a good source of protein with 13.2g per 100g. The protein it contains is of a very high quality, the amino acids are well balanced. It is particularly high in lysine and arginine. It is a very good source of the mineral magnesium (231mg per 100g). Buckwheat is a great source of manganese, phosphorous, copper. For the production of red blood cells copper is necessary. Magnesium make relaxes blood vessels leading to brain and found to have healing effects on depression, and headache. Buckwheat is rich in Folate, it helps your body produce and maintain new cells, especially red blood cells. It is particularly important for pregnant women to have enough folate. They must start having folate rich foods like Buckwheat even while they are planning to conceive. Consuming enough folate before and during pregnancy helps to prevent major birth defects concerning the baby's brain. Buckwheat grains have more B-complex group of vitamins, especially riboflavin (vitamin B2) and niacin (vitamin B3).[4]
Nutrient content in Buckwheat
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| Name | Amount | Unit |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Water | 9.75 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Energy | 343 | kcal |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Energy | 1440 | kJ |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Protein | 13.2 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Total lipid (fat) | 3.4 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Ash | 2.1 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 71.5 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Fiber, total dietary | 10 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Calcium, Ca | 18 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Iron, Fe | 2.2 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Magnesium, Mg | 231 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Phosphorus, P | 347 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Potassium, K | 460 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Sodium, Na | 1 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Zinc, Zn | 2.4 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Copper, Cu | 1.1 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Manganese, Mn | 1.3 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Selenium, Se | 8.3 | µg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Thiamin | 0.101 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Riboflavin | 0.425 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Niacin | 7.02 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Pantothenic acid | 1.23 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.21 | mg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Folate, total | 30 | µg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Folate, food | 30 | µg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Folate, DFE | 30 | µg |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0.741 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| SFA 8:0 | 0.035 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| SFA 10:0 | 0.018 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| SFA 12:0 | 0.01 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| SFA 14:0 | 0.025 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| SFA 16:0 | 0.45 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| SFA 18:0 | 0.047 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 1.04 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.023 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| MUFA 18:1 | 0.988 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| MUFA 22:1 | 0.012 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 1.04 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| PUFA 18:2 | 0.961 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.078 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Tryptophan | 0.192 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Threonine | 0.506 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Isoleucine | 0.498 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Leucine | 0.832 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Lysine | 0.672 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Methionine | 0.172 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Cystine | 0.229 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Phenylalanine | 0.52 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Tyrosine | 0.241 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Valine | 0.678 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Arginine | 0.982 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Histidine | 0.309 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Alanine | 0.748 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Aspartic acid | 1.13 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Glutamic acid | 2.05 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Glycine | 1.03 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Proline | 0.507 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+
| Serine | 0.685 | g |
+------------------------------------+---------+------+[5]Luitel, Dol Raj; Siwakoti, Mohan; Jha, Pramod Kumar; Jha, Ajay Kumar; Krakauer, Nir. An Overview: Distribution, Production, and Diversity of Local Landraces of Buckwheat in Nepal >
Ahmad, Mushtaq; Ahmad, Faizan; Dar, Eajaz Ahmad; Bhat, Raies Ahmad; Mushtaq, Tahmina; Shah, Fozia. Buck Wheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) - A Neglected Crop of High Altitude Cold Arid Regions of Ladakh: Biology and Nutritive Value >
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 2019
Nepali, Bikram; Bhandari, Devashish; Shrestha, Jiban (2019). Mineral Nutrient Content Of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) For Nutritional Security In Nepal. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 3(1): 01-04.
Food Details. USDA. 170286. >