KOCHI: Johnson Oliyapuram, a farmer living in the Thrissilery village of Wayanad, received an order to supply ethnic rice varieties of Kerala like navara, mullankaima and rakthashali in September last year, marking a clear shift from the orders he had received earlier.
The order was for unlimited quantities and the price offered was more than double the ruling price! More importantly, the order came from an ayurveda hospital, which showed the growing demand for Kerala’s ethnic rice varieties for their medicinal properties.
Johnson, 52, had switched to organic farming only after he migrated from Angamaly in Ernakulam in 2006. His decision to cultivate ethnic rice varieties - some varieties are claimed to be 2,500 years old - is clearly bearing fruit. “Authorities of the ayurveda hospital at Koilandy asked me to supply as much as I could, and I supplied them 550 kg, almost the entire stock I had,” says Johnson.
There are about 250 ethnic rice varieties in Kerala, and the efforts to popularise them has witnessed the revival of 50 such rice variants.
Johnson is among the new-generation farmers who are leading the ‘mini red revolution’ (a large number of ethnic rice varieties are russet or copper-red in colour) in the State, reviving many of the lost or diminishing indigenous rice varieties.
Rajesh Nair is another new-generation paddy farmer in the area who quit working for the Green Peace in order to plunge full-time into organic cultivation of ethnic rice varieties. He reckons that there is a strong and clear shift towards ethnic rice farming, and the trend is fast gathering momentum. “The seed festivals (vithulsavam) conducted from Thirssur to Kasargod saw 2,500-3,000 farmers gathering to collect seeds of traditional paddy varieties, clearly indicating which way the wind is blowing,” explains Rajesh, who has been cultivating the Wayanadan thondi variety that is known for its taste and large grains, in seven-and-half acres.
Kochi-based Harinath D Bharatiyan is perhaps the most active among the new breed of farmers who promote traditional rice varieties. He has been cultivating nine ethnic rice varieties, including gandhakasala and mullankaima in a large field taken on lease in Wayanad. The young farmer recently launched ‘Organic Kochi,’ an online store for traditional products including various organic rice varieties.
Harinath feels that the best way to preserve the State’s ethnic rice is to encourage people to grow them. “There is no point in storing the seeds, if we do not intend to grow them. The farmers would cultivate ethnic rice varieties only if they are assured a good price, and that is what we are doing,” says Harinath.
Linesh K, programme officer at Thiruvananthapuram-based NGO Thanal that has been spearheading the efforts to preserve highly nutritious ethnic rice varieties, says around 50 rice varieties were being revived, albeit moderately in terms of the quantities produced. “Clearly, there has been an increase in awareness about the ethnic rice varieties, and the appetite for the same is growing among consumers,” he says.Awareness about the nutritional, aromatic and medicinal properties of ethnic rice varieties is growing even among the common man “Most of the customers are now asking for the ethnic varieties by their names, which is a big positive,” points out Harinath.The next sowing season for ethnic rice varieties begins in December in Wayanad.