POKKALI RICE

Aug. 7, 2020

Farmers in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal are betting on the pokkali variety of rice from Kerala to tide over a crisis-like situation created by severe seawater incursion into paddy fields in vast areas of the Sundarbans after cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal on May 20.

About:

  • The pokkali variety, known for its saltwater resistance, flourishes in the paddy fields of coastal Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts of Kerala.

  • The uniqueness of the rice has brought it the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and is the subject of continuing research.

  • Vyttila-11 is the latest variety of Pokkali Rice to come out of Kerala Agricultural University’s field station in Vyttila. Vyttila-11 promises better yield of about 5 tonnes per hectare than the previous varieties, and is crossed with the Jyoti variety of rice popular in Kerala.

Source : The Hindu

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