Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 1: Renowned rice conservator and Plant Genome Saviour Awardee B K Deva Rao has urged farmers to revive paddy cultivation, not just to conserve traditional rice varieties but also to protect the environment.
Speaking at the Press Club’s Guest of Honour programme in Mangaluru, the 81-year-old said paddy fields functioned as natural rainwater harvesting systems, helping recharge groundwater and keep local water bodies alive.
Rao, who has preserved over 300 rice varieties on his five-acre organic farm in Mittabagilu near Ujire, expressed concern over the drastic drop in native rice varieties — from two lac once to just 25,000 now. He emphasised that local rice strains such as ‘atikaya’ and ‘atikaraya’ hold medicinal and nutritional value and must be protected through active cultivation.
He added that the paddy area around his village has declined from 200 acres to a mere 10 acres. “The government must support paddy farmers with better pricing to encourage cultivation,” he said, also urging a shift to organic methods to retain soil and crop quality.
His son B K Parameshwar Rao, an engineer-turned-farmer, noted that the cost of cultivating rice ranges between Rs 120 to Rs 150 per kg, yet they are forced to sell it below cost. He also called on the forest department to grow wild fruits and tubers inside forests to curb crop raids by wild animals.
The event concluded with Deva Rao being felicitated by Press Club president P B Harish Rai and others.