Red rice is rich in iron, is nutritious and full of vitamins

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There has been revival of the local paddy varieties of Goa that are not produced much anymore. Tell us about that.

There are varieties of paddy which were consumed by the people of Goa for generations but over time were forgotten and lost. For example, Korgut, the oldest and most popular variety of paddy was almost forgotten and side-lined. The newer, fast growing varieties, which also offered more yield, were preferred over this traditional variety by the local farmers. We have revived 24 varieties of paddy in the state, including Korgut.

What are your plans for this year?

This year we are growing local varieties too – Jiresal and Ghansal, that take 145-150 days and are fine type. We bring the seeds from Azra in Maharashtra, where they are grown commercially. Since they are tall and lodging, they were replaced. Also they have low yield capacity, so were not grown much. But we see a demand, so we are trying to bring both back. We have brought one more important type back – Black Rice, or Chahao, from Manipur which is a medicinal rice that has antioxidant properties. Currently it is grown at Margao and Netravali privately and at Ela Farms.

Why did you replace land races (local varieties)?

These land races / local varieties (Dhango, Belo and Patani) are low yielding, lodging and non-economical. So they are overtaken by improved and high-yielding varieties cultivated with SRI method which has the potential to give 10-12 tonnes per hectare.

But shouldn’t we be conserving land races?

Yes, we are encouraging farmers to do that. Kamalakant Tari, president of Bharat Swabhiman Kisan Panchayat, Sekeri-Maye grows 70 types of land races – local types of different region and high yielding varieties. We are experimenting on black rice. We have seen that birds attack black rice first and eat it up. Red variety is healthy. White variety is fine and medium fine. It suits the taste of today’s generation and hence brought from Kerala.

Isn’t red rice healthier than white?

Red rice is rich in iron, is nutritious and full of vitamins. It maintains your sugar level. One should eat red rice more compared to white rice which has only starch.

What about Basmati? Have you tried it here, in Goa?

Yes. But Basmati has low yield in this atmosphere. Also, it gets infested by pests and diseases. By the time the grain is ready, there’s no aroma left. It needs temperature below 18 degrees and takes above 130 days duration. If sown, Tukda Basmati is produced, which has black spots and fetches lesser price. Since variety and milling both not possible here, so it’s not grown in Goa.

What are the major hubs of paddy in Goa?

Salcete, Bardez and Tiswadi are the major hubs here.

What are the incentives by the state government for paddy apart from subsidies for purchasing agriculture machinery, seeds, fertilisers as well as compensation on destruction of crops?

Paddy has an assured price, Rs 19 per kilo. The farmer is free to sell it at any rate. If he quotes lower than Rs 19, the difference is paid to him by the government. The wholesale selling price of Jyoti is Rs 12 while Jaya and Karjat are sold between Rs 9-10. The state government bears the difference. The Goa government also has a programme for development of Khajan land. It gives free paddy seeds to the farmers – 100 grams per hectare. A total of 16 tonnes of local Korgut is distributed to farmers in Pernem, Bardes, Tiswadi, Ponda, Salcete and Bicholim.

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Categories pf paddy?

Yes. There are three categories – 1) high yielding, 2) red and white kernel and 3) salt resistant (Khajan). The high yielding ones are Aishwarya, Kunju Kunju Varna, Kanchana, Makam, Vaishakha, Samayukta.

• Aishwarya (red, long bold), a very promising variety, takes 120-125 days and is resistant to blast and blight diseases.

• Kunju Kunju Varna (red, bold, short) requires 110-115 days. It is photo insensitive, tolerant to major pests and highly suitable for SRI method.

• Kanchana (red, long, bold) needs 100-110 days and is suitable for both seasons.

• Makom (red, short, bold) is moderately resistant to pests and diseases. It has dormancy upon one month and is specifically suited for wet season though it can be cultivated in all three seasons. Vaishakha (red, long, bold) takes 120-125 days and needs dry sowing. This drought tolerant variety is suitable for upland and is resistant to blue beetle.

• Samayukta has similar properties like Vaishakha but requires 115-120 days.

• The white kernel, Sampada, Somasila, Sabhagi Dhan, MTU 10-10, Karjat-3, Varangal, take 90-125 days to harvest.

• The third, salt resistant variety grows on Khajan land.

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Promising varieties so far

• In white kernel category CSR – 27, GRS-1, DRR Dhan, KS – 12, KS – 17

• In red kernel, Siddi, local Korgut and CSR 36.

• ICAR Goa has standardised Korgut. It has identified two better types in them – Korgut Selection 17 and Korgut Selection 12 that have potential of production of two tonnes per hectare and are found better than local Korgut.

• The other Khajan varieties like CSR – 36, CSR – 27, GRS – 1, DRS – Dhan are promising, fine type, non-lodging and have a yield potential of 3 ½ to 4 tonnes yield and are suitable for mechanised harvesting.

• The high yielding varieties have potential of 4 ½ to 5 tonnes of yield, better than Jyoti and Jaya which are the ruling varieties in Goa.

• Jyothi (red, long, bold) which is also popular in Kerala and Karnataka, requires 110-115 days to mature.