Koraput: Kala Jeera, a member of the most popular Basmati rice family, is grown in the Koraput district and is going to rock the Delhi market in near future.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will provide financial assistance to a local NGO to seek the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for ‘Kalajeera’ rice.
Meanwhile, the NGO has also taken the initiative to sell ‘Kalajeera’ rice on the leading e-commerce platform Amazon.
As many as 1,600 farmers in 14 blocks of Koraput district are cultivating Kala Jeera paddy, while 100 quintals of paddy are being harvested annually.
This type of paddy is harvested at 5 to 10 quintals per acre. It takes 180 to 155 days for the paddy to be harvested. The rice is planned to be sold in several markets in Delhi. It is targeted to be sold at a price of Rs 140 per kg.
By producing, Koraput has created a unique identity of its own and it has added another dimension to its history of success. There is no doubt that many rare varieties of paddy can be extinct and create a unique identity for Odisha.