Surrounded by lush green paddy fields in the foothills of Pandrimalai lies Sithayyankottai in Dindigul district. In this fertile region, is a three-acre farm that for four years has been producing ‘kalabhat’, a traditional paddy.
Among the fluorescent green fields, this farm stands out as the leaf blades and sheaths are dark green and stand a foot and a half taller than the other paddy varieties. The inflorescence is pitch black and heavy, almost bearing down the sheath. An aroma akin to basmati rice wafts in the strong breeze that rustles through the field.
According to folklore, ‘Kalabhat’ rice was brought here during the time of Hyder Ali. In the early 1990s, this variety was widespread in the region but later met with a slow death after the arrival of hybrid varieties.
According to A. Rasool Mohideen, owner of the farm, it was his father’s longing to have this rice that prompted him to go in for this cultivation. With no seeds locally available, he had to procure them from Assam.
This is the fourth year that he has gone in for this cultivation, and Mr. Mohideen says it has given him intense satisfaction. Through organic methods, he has been able to get 18 bags — each weighing 75 kg — of rice from one acre.
Farmer A. Rasool Mohideen at his Kalabad paddy field near Sithayan Kottai in Dindigul district. | Photo Credit: G. Karthikeyan
After husking one bag of paddy, he gets 25 kg of delicate raw rice that is not just fragile but even a fistful of it is filled with a rich fragrance of biryani. “Yes, the rice is used for biryani and also for kanji and it is more flavourful than jeerha samba,” he says.
If sold in the market, he can get a price of ₹200 per kg, but now he is selling it among his friends and local contacts. Plans are on to find a niche consumer base on an online portal.
Considered as a heirloom in many parts of the country, this variety warrants patience from farmers to grow it. But with farmers and traders wanting immediate monetary gain, this variety has very few takers, Mr. Mohideen adds.
The variety grows best if it is sowed around September when the climatic conditions are favourable and it is ready for harvest in January. During other seasons, the variety performs very poorly. A hardy plant, it is almost disease-resistant and does not need much water. But for farmers, hybrid variety harvest sometimes is even thrice a year, he says.
But as he contemplates expanding the area under cultivation, he also hopes to rope in more farmers who are ready to grow and preserve this traditional rice.
