Kadambini Behera, who hails from Jagatsinghpur's Redhua village in Odisha, has created history by being the only woman in the region to have a rice variety registered in her name.
New Delhi's Plant Varieties Registry registered 'Lall Basna Dhan', a high-yielding fragrant rice variety in her name.
The fragrant paddy variety is found in both the fall harvest, kharif, and the winter cropping season of rabi, Behera told The New Indian Express (TNIE).
The woman farmer has dedicated her life to working on fresh rice varieties in the district which used to be a hobby since childhood, she expressed, whilst uplifting women self-help groups.
Ketakijuha and Kudrat-3 are two kinds of fragrant rice varieties that Behera has cultivated in the last 15 years.
A Life of Focus
"Lall Basna Dhan is not only drought resistant and waterlogging tolerant but is also high-yielding. The grains are medium in length and the fruit duration of the plant is 125 to 130 days. It is a desi variety of rice, good in taste and fragrant. It is suitable for making rice pithas, kheer and mudhi," she explained.
Currently working as a secretary with Redhua Gram Panchayat Level Federation of Odisha Livelihoods Mission, Behera has also been associated with the top organisation for farmers, Gorekhnath Krushak Mahasangha.
The farmer has been active in the paddy field since 2002, focusing on the production of good quality of paddy seeds, as per TNIE.
Professionally, she has learnt about seed production and rice breeding from National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) and Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) scientists during her association with the Mahasangha.
"Since people here are traditional paddy growers, I thought of experimenting with the scented varieties of rice and joined the Mahasangha," she said.
Experimenting with Paddy Varieties
With their help, she has been successful in producing the various scented paddy varieties. While Ketakijuha is certified by NRRI, Kudrat-3 is an indigenous kind, reported TNIE.
Behera hit a milestone when she was able to cross the Kudrat-3 with Ketakijuha, leading to the creation of a new rice panicle, which she then named as 'Lall Basna Dhan'.
The Plant Varieties Registry in Delhi, in March this year, exclusively registered the variety in her name. Behera has the right to cultivate, sell or export the paddy variety.
(With inputs from The New Indian Express.)
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