5 days ago
Desi rice mela reinforces call to preserve paddy diversity
The two-day desi rice mela which concluded on Sunday drew attention to the imperatives of turning attention on indigenous variety of rice and reviving paddy diversity of the region.
The mela was conducted by Sahaja Samrudha and Save Our Rice Campaign and flagged the growing threat to traditional paddy strains that were losing ground to high-yielding commercial hybrids.
Over 200 paddy strains from across the region and also different part of the country were on display and sale and the public response was overwhelming on the last day. In a bid to combine advocacy with cultural engagement, the organisers had organised a cooking competition and children's drawing contest which evoked good response.
Gurulingaswamy, a farmer and seed conservator from Haveri, distributed the prizes to the winners. He said that indigenous variety of rice was cultivated for hundreds of years in the country and is part of the local food culture. ''These nutrient-rich varieties are being supplanted by polished white rice devoid of any health benefits and hence the consumers should make a switch to traditional rice varieties so as to kindle demand for them,' he added.
Ms. Leela Shivakumar who was the judge, called for kitchens to become 'treasure troves' of indigenous rice, noting that dietary diversity was essential for long-term health. Artist S. Vishnukumar, who awarded prizes for the children's drawing contest on the topic 'The World of Rice – As I See It', said such activities foster awareness among youth about agricultural heritage.
Winners were Kusuma Krishnamurthy (first), Mani Virupaksha (second), and Sunitha Kumari (third), with Chandraben K. receiving a consolation prize.
In the under-10 drawing category, Punaradatta secured first place, followed by Khushitashvi and Khushi, with Rajdeep receiving a consolation prize. In the 11 to 15 years category, Aadya won the first prize, N. Manvi bagged the second prize and Hoysala received the third prize, according to the organisers.
