Guwahati: The black rice varieties carried from Manipur and Odisha to Assam have invested new expectations among tribal farmers in Assam’s destination district.
Veteran farmers Upendra Rabha from goal, known for popularizing black rice varieties in Assam which have been deployed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to promote black rice premium varieties that have the potential to provide international market linkages to farmers.
from Assam.
It is forbidden by elephants every year, black rice varieties have been planted under the ASSAM agribusiness supported by banks and rural transformation projects (separate), implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.
It aims to provide assistance to farmers with high refunds even from lower results.
Branded with the name, rice upendra I, varieties have been supplied to Odisha Market, Punjab, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Rabha received a sample of black rice kg from Rajasthan’s agricultural exhibition through Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Goalpara, a few years ago but only one seed germinated.
He did not lose hope.
“From one superior, the variety then became the popular rice upendra I and had spread to several Assam districts,” Rabha said.
This year, he claimed upendra Rice II and III, evolved from Padi Upendra I, has been distributed to local farmers.
While new varieties have been introduced from Manipur, two other black rice varieties, Kalamalulda and Kalavati, have been introduced from Odisha.
IRRI, in collaboration with the Government of Assam under the ASSAM agribusiness funded by banks and rural transformation projects has initiated its production by introducing new black rice varieties from various Indian states.
“The aim is to connect farmers to buyers for higher returns and provide good quality seeds for future use,” Communication Specialist in IRRI, Jyoti Bikash Nath, told TII on Tuesday.
Experiments in Goalpara can walk away in managing black rice farming from the current state of cultivation.
Among many varieties available on the market, black rice is in demand in various parts of the country.
“Land and weather conditions are in accordance with rice planting this type and can be planted commercially,” said Nath.
With the demand for black rice it is currently rising due to the nutritional value and high health benefits, IRRI aims to introduce it in more fields.
“IRRI also introduced premium-quality rice varieties (PQR) plant cafeterias along with customary rice varieties for comparative analysis, evaluation and selection.
The purpose of the plant cafeteria is to provide opportunities for farmers to choose the best performance varieties of their preferences for further adoption in their fields , “said Kanwar Singh, a population coordinator and senior association scientist in IRRI.
The seeds were sown at a total area of 17.6 bighas land consisting of black rice Manipuri at 10 BIGHA, Kalavati at 3.6 BIGHA and Kalamalulda on 4.0 Bigha.
Pangkasan is expected to be harvested in the next week.
“From Kalamalda seeds, some different varieties have evolved here,” Rabha added.
Black rice cultivation brought hope to Tribal Assam farmers
