Raipur 03 February 2021. Till now we have been sowing and eating only white milky colored rice. But now if black rice is found somewhere, then it is not surprising. Farmers of Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh state have also started growing it. Rich in medicinal properties, black rice is rich in selenium (anti cancer), anthocyanin (anti agent and anti oxidant), zinc, iron, folic acid, calcium and fiber. It is beneficial in cancer, obesity, blood pressure, malnutrition, sickle cell, anemia and helps in keeping the immune system strong. The demand of this black rice in the market is also increasing with good price.
For the production of black rice, it was first cultivated in Assam by the progressive farmer Mr. Gajendra Chandrakar, resident of Paraswani of Dhamtari district. Under the Atma Yojana, an exhibition of black rice was held on 15 acres under the Kurdish agreement. It is worth noting that in the year 2018-19, a demonstration of 70 acres of medicinal properties in the district was done as an area of 70 acres. At the same time, Madhuraj 55 in an area of 35 acres, Mahajink in 27 acres and Lohandi (Zinc) in 8 acres was put on the farmers’ farm. The farmers brought the finished product to national and state level exhibitions and gave it a new identity.
After this, in the year 2019, in the International Buyer-seller Farmers’ Conference held in the capital city Raipur, Ojaswi Farmers Growers Organization and farmers Shri Ramlal Bhatpahri and Shri Thanendra Sahu signed a contract with the exporter of 110 quintal Black Rice at Kurud in the district. The rate of black rice per kg was fixed at Rs 100. Taking this connection further, in the year 2019-20, 30 acres of black rice crop was planted as an agricultural demonstration under the Atma Yojana. Recently a program of dividend distribution was organized in Hatbandh, where the farmers of the interest group of young farmers cultivating Black Rice received the dividend of rice sold by them. He got a profit of one thousand rupees per quintal. Under this, the farmers of the group Mr. Thanendra Sahu, Mr. Kejuram Dewangan, Mr. Lokesh Sahu, Mr. Harish Sahu and Mr. Rajesh Dote have earned a total of thirty thousand rupees.
Farmer Hatbandh resident Mr. Kejuram Dewangan and farmer Mr. Harish Sahu of Young Farmer Interests Group say that this crop prepared by the organic method increases the income, as well as can be saved from polluting the environment with organic farming.
Raipur: Farmers’ trend towards black rice cultivation with medicinal properties: Demand rich with good prices
