Started journey with single seedling Black rice production brings accolades for Upendra Rabha

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Starting to cultivate black rice with the advent of a single seedling in Assam in 2011, Upendra Rabha is now a renowned figure in black rice production, and his endeavour has now been recognized by the Assam government by bestowing on him one of the highest civilian state awards, the ‘Assam Gaurav’ award.

Upendra Rabha, now aged around 60, is a resident of Amguripara village near Krishnai in the Goalpara district of Assam.

Rabha is such a popular agriculturist that three strains of black rice are named after him: Upendra black rice , Upendra black rice 1, and Upendra black rice 2. The Assam Agriculture Department has named the three strains of black rice in his name to honour his contribution to the cultivation of black rice, which has many health benefits as compared to general rice.

His journey as an agriculturist engaged in paddy cultivation has not been a smooth ride throughout. Being from an interior village, the challenges he had to face were enormous, as knowledge about scientific modes of cultivation was not available. He started paddy cultivation in 1985 at Amguripara village. His thirst for knowledge led him to listen to the ‘Krishi jagat’ programme of the All India Radio in Guwahati. Acquiring the basic knowledge of paddy cultivation in a scientific manner, he applied it on the field. It was an arduous struggle, as acquiring knowledge and applying it in the field are two different things. After lots of hits and misses, he slowly became proficient at paddy cultivation in his village.

In 1990, he came to the attention of the state Agriculture Department and started getting guidance from field officials, which helped him take up cultivation as a viable profession.

Regarding his start in black rice production, Upendra Rabha told The Sentinel, “In 2011, I received 1 kg of black rice seeds from chief scientist Uttam Kumar Baruah of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Dudhnoi. The seed had been procured by Baruah from Jaipur in Rajasthan. I planted the seeds in my field, but only one seedling survived among the kilo of seeds. I took care of the single seedling, and it yielded 150 gm of black rice from the plant. It was then that I realised the potential of black rice, and this was the start of my journey to where I am today.”

Upendra Rabha and his fellow farmers have increased the cultivation of black rice in stages, and last year they cultivated black rice on 1000 bigha of land. The black rice produced by them has gained national and even international recognition.

Compared with other types of rice, black rice is one of the highest in protein. Per 3.5 ounces (100 grams), black rice contains 9 grams of protein, compared with 7 grams for brown rice. It’s rich in antioxidants and also a good source of iron, a mineral that’s essential for carrying oxygen throughout the body.

Asked about the demand for black rice, Rabha stated, “Initially, when we embarked on black rice production, we received a good response, and the demand was high. But in 2016–18, there was a slump in demand, but since 2019, market demand has been quite high, and now we are unable to supply according to demand. In the recent agriculture mela in Guwahati, we had so much demand that we could not supply enough black rice to the customers.”

Currently, Rabha is engaged in producing seven varieties of black rice- Upendra Black Rice, Upendra Black Rice 1, Upendra Black Rice 2, Manipuri Black Rice 1, Manipuri Black Rice 2, Kalavati Black Rice, and Purple Rice.

Having gained considerable attention from the agriculture department, people now flock to Rabha to understand his know-how and conduct research on his unique strains of black rice.

Rabha has received several awards and accolades for his contribution to placing the state on the maps of black rice-producing areas. His most recent achievement is the announcement of his name for the Assam Gaurav Award.

Also read: Black rice production in Assam

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