JORHAT, Feb 5 � In order to showcase and popularise the highly nutritious varieties of local paddy among the agrarian communities across the world, many young and educated farmers of Jorhat district have prepared long lists of over 100 varieties to exhibit before international visitors at the second Assam International Agri-Horticultural Show, 2015, scheduled to be held in Guwahati from February 10.
According to Agriculture Department officials, 125 farmers will participate in the international show and several of them will showcase their collections of indigenous paddy varieties which are on the verge of extinction.
As these youths have been collecting the paddy varieties with intense devotion, their efforts have been applauded by government officials and NGOs in the country and aboard.
Mohan Chandra Borah of Meleng Kathgaon, a 30-year-old Arts graduate from Kakojan College, has collected more than 100 varieties of paddy which are believed to be rich in nutrition and antioxidant properties. �Since the last four years, I have been collecting these paddy varieties. I got a very good produce from many local varieties like konjoha, boka sokua, amana bau, etc., as they can withstand adverse weather conditions,� said Borah.
He added that apart from the officials concerned, a Canada-based NGO, Fertile Ground also inspired him in doing organic cultivation of local varieties of paddy which are feared to become extinct if they are not preserved properly. As Borah did well in organic farming, several others in the locality are following in his footsteps.
However, the organic rice and chillies produced by Borah are yet to be priced properly as he has not received a certificate for his organic farmland from the authorities concerned. Due to lack of space for preservation, all the collected rice varieties have been kept in cans and bags.
Dwipen Bora of Bhogamukh also said that international visitors are keen on knowing the rich contents of the Assam varieties of paddy which are rare in several countries of the world.
�I collected a total of 75 indigenous varieties from various paddy fields of Jorhat and Sivasagar districts. What we need now is a well-built seed library for preserving the collections,� added Bora.
The efforts of Bora and some other young farmers have been applauded by officers of the department.
The two successful farmers said that the preservation of the local varieties of paddy is a very important task. Stressing the significance of preserving local paddy varieties, agriculture experts also echoed that many indigenous varieties of paddy can resist adverse conditions during floods and drought, which cannot be resisted by most high-yielding varieties of hybrid paddy.
According to the experts, the local varieties of paddy give better yield in organic farming which has been opted as an eco-friendly agricultural method across the world for better sustainability.
