: Maharashtra Farmer’s Initiative Helps Grow 1200 kg of New Variety Black Rice #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture A handful of farmers from Akola taluka in Maharashtra have been growing black rice for two successive

Maharashtra Farmer’s Initiative Helps Grow 1200 kg of New Variety Black Rice #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture
A handful of farmers from Akola taluka in Maharashtra have been growing black rice for two successive seasons, showing that the preserve, usually grown in the Northeastern states, can be cultivated in other areas as well. But the variety that these farmers grow, called Neela Bhat, is slightly different — when cooked, it acquires a bluish-purple hue.
It all began in 2019, when farmer Vikas Arote (41) of Mehenduri village, who is also a member of the Agasti Farmer Producer Company, planted 3 kilograms of black rice on five gunthas (up to 5,000 sq ft) of land.
Mehenduri, is located 30 km from the hill retreat of Bhandardara, and is a medium-sized village with around 400 families. Most families here grow rice during the kharif season, and follow a mixed-crop pattern during the rabi season, wherein they grow six varieties of marigold and chawli (black-eyed beans) using the drip irrigation method. The most common variety of rice grown here is the Indrayani variety.
“I sowed the paddy seeds on the insistence of Raosaheb Bendre of the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA). Until recently, he was working among us, and gifted me 3 kilograms of seeds before moving to Assam,??? says Arote, who took to farming in 2000 after he was unable to land a job, despite having a diploma in engineering.
ATMA, a registered society at the district level, works with different agriculture-related institutions for sustainable agricultural development. Its objective is to coordinate various research and extension activities at the district level, as well as for the decentralisation of the public agricultural technology system.
While serving as ATMA’s Nagar District Agriculture Marketing Expert for 10 years, Bendre was instrumental in forming 14 FPCs (Farmer Producer Companies) in Akola. Currently based in Assam, it was Bendre who realised that the agro-climatic conditions of the taluka were conducive for the cultivation of black rice. “Having acquired paddy seeds, I approached Vikas some time in mid-June,??? he says.
“The paddy is harvested after 110 days of plantation, and a fragrance emanates during the crop’s flowering. I got a very good harvest, around 210 kg, of black rice, which was much more than the Indrayani rice variety we have been cultivating here for the last 10 years,??? he says.
A thank you note from the CM
Arote’s initiative to grow black rice in an area that otherwise saw the same variety for generations proved exemplary. In June, 2020, officials of Akola taluka’s agriculture department got involved, and with Arote’s help, distributed black paddy seeds to 26 farmers across four villages, including three tribal areas.

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