Merchant is reportedly more earthy (6)
I believe the answer is:
grocer
'merchant' is the definition.
(grocer is a kind of merchant)
'reportedly more earthy' is the wordplay.
'reportedly' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'more earthy' becomes 'grosser' ('gross' can be a synonym of 'earthy').
'grosser' sounds like 'GROCER'.
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for grocer that I've seen before include "Shopkeeper selling food" , "Market trader" , "Merchant who sells foodstuffs" , "One supplying households" , "Shopkeeper who sells food and household stores" .)