Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) joins hands with the Department of Agriculture to conserve and propagate the remaining traditional rice varieties of Wayanad, one of the most biodiversity-rich districts of the State.
The project aims at promoting the cultivation of 62 varieties, including indigenous and scented rice varieties of the district such as Gandhakasala, Jeerakasala, Kayama, Thondi, Marathondi, Chomala, Adukkan, and Veliyan.
A recent survey organised jointly by the university and the Agriculture Department reveals that as many as 62 varieties of traditional rice varieties are being cultivated in the hill district now.
The survey was organised as part of preparing a directory of the traditional rice varieties of the district in connection with declaring Wayanad as a ‘special agriculture zone’ for floriculture and specialty rice.
The Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) of the university at Ambalavayal will provide technical assistance and seeds to farmers as a part of promoting traditional rice cultivation, P. Rajendran, Associate Director of research, RARS, said.
Seed festival
“We are setting up a demonstration plot on the premises of RARS to sensitise the farming community to the significance of conserving the rich biodiversity of the region,” Dr. Rajendran said, adding that the station would also host a seed festival in July as part of it.
“As many as 648 farmers in the district are cultivating different varieties of traditional rice on 392 hectares of land,” P.H. Meharban, Principal Agricultural Officer, Wayanad, said. “We are planning to expand the cultivation to 1,000 hectares of land in the coming years under the project,” she said.
The Agriculture Department is provided ₹10,000 a hectare as an incentive and procure the seed varieties at ₹50 a kg after harvest to attract more farmers to the sector,” S.K. Rani, Deputy director, Agriculture Department, Wayanad, said.
Five tonnes of traditional rice seeds was procured from the farmers during the current fiscal. Apart from this, the government had set aside a sum of ₹3 crore to the university for carrying out a genome study on the rice varieties, she said.
