Kalanamk Rice

  KALANAMAK RICE

 Why in the News?

Recently, Indian Agriculture Research Institute(IARI) has successfully tested two new dwarf varieties of Kalanamk Rice.

Key Points:

The two varieties are:

• Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652.

About Kalanamak Rice:

• • Kalanamak is a traditional variety of paddy with a black husk and a strong fragrance.

  • It is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of the Sravasti when he visited the region.

  • It is protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) tag system.

  • Location: Grown in the Terai region of northeastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal.

• Concern: 

• • The problem with the traditional variety of Kalanamak paddy is that it’s tall and prone to lodging.
  • The plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls to the ground. 
  • Which badly impacted grain filling and quality. The yield, as a result, fell drastically, and the market for rice dwindled, too. 
  • Addressing the problem, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice. 

Benefits:

• The objective was to bring dwarfness into the variety and make the plant sturdy to prevent lodging. 
• It combines the quality of traditional Kalanamak into high-yielding varieties. 
• Compared to the traditional variety, the increase in production is three times.