Kolkata, Dec 29: The effort of farmers in the Sundarbans region to bring back into reckoning varieties of rice of superior
quality is bearing fruit, and the State Government’s Agriculture Department, realising
the potential, is extending all help.
The Agriculture Department, with the active encouragement of
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been making a lot of efforts
for reviving varieties of rice known for their taste or aroma or medicinal
properties, which had almost become extinct due to pressure for
commercially viable varieties. Proper marketing is enabling their fame to spread
far and wide – both in India and around the world, be it in Europe, USA or
the Gulf countries.
Now the farmers in the Sundarbans are taking personal initiatives to create a seed bank of these superior but almost-extinct varieties. Across the delta region, farmers are contributing to create the bank, and in the process, reviving the cultivation of these species. Most of these are hundreds of years old, and many are adapted for growing in soil types normally considered unsuitable for paddy.
The rule of building the seed bank is simple. Farmers need not pay to get the seeds. They get it for free. But what they have to do is, after cultivation is over, contribute one kilogram of rice grains back to the bank. Thus stocks keep getting replenished at little cost. Whatever the cost is, it is to do with the storage; the seeds are stored in clay containers – hnaris and kolshis.
Now the farmers in the Sundarbans are taking personal initiatives to create a seed bank of these superior but almost-extinct varieties. Across the delta region, farmers are contributing to create the bank, and in the process, reviving the cultivation of these species. Most of these are hundreds of years old, and many are adapted for growing in soil types normally considered unsuitable for paddy.
The rule of building the seed bank is simple. Farmers need not pay to get the seeds. They get it for free. But what they have to do is, after cultivation is over, contribute one kilogram of rice grains back to the bank. Thus stocks keep getting replenished at little cost. Whatever the cost is, it is to do with the storage; the seeds are stored in clay containers – hnaris and kolshis.
The farmers have started selling the rice varieties online
too, and as a result earnings are becoming viable to continue the
cultivation of these species.
Among the varieties of rice being cultivated and stored in the seed bank are kalomota, sadamota, kumargarh, gopalbhog, nico, hogla, dheus, hamai, patnai, dudheswar, raniakanda, chamarmani, khara, kalabhat (black rice), talmugur, orashal, nonakshitish, uri, swarshal, lilabati, begunbichi, mohanbhog, badshahbhog, kabirajshal, bohurupi, kanakchur, and hundreds of others.
A few are a slightly known, most are unknown, but one thing is common to them – their value, be it in terms of taste or aroma or quality or ease of cooking or medicinal value.
A few examples are being given here. Kalabhat or black rice is known for its taste and ease of cooking, kabirajshal is prescribed by ayurvedic doctors (or kabiraj) for getting back health after a long illness, bohurupi is rich in the mineral, iron, kanakshur is famous for being the main ingredient of Joynagarer moa (which recently got a geographical indication (GI) tag) while hamai and dheus are well-known for being
able to be made into tasty muri (puffed rice, a staple of Bengalis). UNI
Among the varieties of rice being cultivated and stored in the seed bank are kalomota, sadamota, kumargarh, gopalbhog, nico, hogla, dheus, hamai, patnai, dudheswar, raniakanda, chamarmani, khara, kalabhat (black rice), talmugur, orashal, nonakshitish, uri, swarshal, lilabati, begunbichi, mohanbhog, badshahbhog, kabirajshal, bohurupi, kanakchur, and hundreds of others.
A few are a slightly known, most are unknown, but one thing is common to them – their value, be it in terms of taste or aroma or quality or ease of cooking or medicinal value.
A few examples are being given here. Kalabhat or black rice is known for its taste and ease of cooking, kabirajshal is prescribed by ayurvedic doctors (or kabiraj) for getting back health after a long illness, bohurupi is rich in the mineral, iron, kanakshur is famous for being the main ingredient of Joynagarer moa (which recently got a geographical indication (GI) tag) while hamai and dheus are well-known for being
able to be made into tasty muri (puffed rice, a staple of Bengalis). UNI
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