New Delhi/Guwahati 28 Nov : Assam soils are well suited to black rice, which offers huge potential for commercial production.Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation project (APART), which is funded by the World Bank, has started production of new varieties of black rice from different parts of India. The crop is expected be harvested within the next week of the project wherein International Rice Research Institute, (IRRI), has embarked upon this ambitious collaboration under the APART.IRRI released a statement.
Black rice is one of the most popular varieties.This is due to its high nutritional content.
India is a major rice-producing country and has many varieties.Each variety has its own nutritional characteristics and climate preferences.
“In this Sali season, (rice grown in winters), IRRI – under APART – provided 60 kg Manipuri black Rice, 30 kg Kalamalifula, and 22 kg Kalavati to a few selected farmers from Goalpara district in Assam.According to the release, Manipur is home to Manipur’s Manipuri black rice while Kalamalifula (and Kalavati) were introduced from Odisha.
These varieties’ seeds were sown over 17.6 bighas of land.This included Kalavati in 3.6 Bigha, Kalavati (in 10 bigha), and Kalamalifula (in 4.0 bigha) as demonstration plots.
These demonstrations aim to connect farmers with buyers to increase their returns and make it possible to provide good quality seed for future uses.
The release stated that black rice is in high demand due to its nutritional value and health benefits.IRRI under APART aims to increase black rice production in the next days.
“IRRI also has the crop cafeteria of premium quality rice (PQR), along with indigenous varieties, for comparative analysis and evaluation as well as selection.The crop cafeteria was established to allow farmers and extension workers to choose the best performing varieties to be adopted on their fields.
Dr Kanwar Singh is the resident coordinator and Senior Associate Scientist II at IRRI.
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