UP to set up research centre for GI-tagged Kalanamak rice with IRRI
The research facility in Siddharthnagar district will focus on developing pest-resistant varieties and improving seed quality for the speciality rice, which has been cultivated since 600 BC and holds a coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag, State Minister for Industrial Development Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi told PTI.
New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh plans to establish a research centre for premium 'Kalanamak rice' in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to boost production and exports of the aromatic grain sold at Rs 250-300 per kg in the domestic market.
The state government targets expanding cultivation area to 1,00,000 hectares in the 2025-26 kharif season starting next month, from 82,000 hectares previously, as demand grows for the black-husked grain known for its distinctive aroma and higher antioxidant content compared to regular rice varieties.
Production reached 32.8 lakh tonnes in the 2024-25 season with average yields of 4 tonnes per hectare, according to state data.
Uttar Pradesh exported about 500 tonnes of Kalanamak rice last year to Singapore and Nepal, with growing interest from Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Japan, where the grain's historical connection to Buddha adds cultural appeal.
The rice, also called 'Buddha rice', is linked to a Buddhist legend claiming Lord Buddha gifted it to people in Kapilvastu as a blessing.
The state has designated Kalanamak rice as a flagship product under its One District One Product initiative and established a processing facility with 80 per cent government funding to support export readiness through grading, packing and post-harvest services.
Schemes, including Marketing Development Assistance and the Gateway Port Scheme, provide logistics support and funding to exporters for international trade fair participation.
The non-basmati variety is cultivated exclusively during the monsoon season to maintain grain quality and sold for Rs 250-300 per kg in domestic markets, significantly higher than regular rice varieties. PTI LUX LUX SHW SHW
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
7 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Ladli Behna Yojana beneficiaries to get Rs 250 on Aug 7 as 'Raksha Bandhan' gift: MP CM Mohan Yadav
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Sunday said 1.27 crore beneficiaries of the Ladli Behna Yojana will get Rs 250 in their bank accounts on August 7 as a Raksha Bandhan gift, which he described as a "small token of love from a brother".This amount is over and above the Rs 1250 beneficiaries of the state's flagship scheme get every month, he added while addressing a Raksha Bandhan celebration organised by women working at 'Best Lifestyle' company here. "Every woman of the state is my sister. It is my pride and my honour. The Madhya Pradesh government is fully committed to ensuring that no sister faces hardship," Yadav asserted.'Best Lifestyle' currently employed 1500 women, and this number would soon go up to 4000, he said, adding that a new site had been allotted to the company, which will also have residential facilities for Syntex, another prominent firm in the region, employs 7000 women, all of whom are skilled workers producing high-quality garments that are exported to the United States of America, the CM said. Informing that the firm had exported 11 lakh units and aims to reach 20 lakh units soon, Yadav said, "I bow to the hardworking sisters who are the backbone of this progress. For me, my sisters are everything." Employment in textile mills in Ujjain have gone up from 5000 earlier to 20000 now, and the figure continues to grow, he pointed out."Industries are coming to Ujjain. Investors are showing interest in Madhya Pradesh. This is creating jobs, which is a matter of pride for our state, both nationally and internationally," he MP government is providing Rs 5,000 to the women working in the company, under various state-run schemes, and more welfare initiatives are in the pipeline, Yadav Ladli Behna Yojana was launched on June 10, 2023 from Jabalpur by the previous Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. It is seen as one of the primary reasons for the BJP's emphatic win in the 2023 assembly polls. According to offficials, of the Rs 27,147 crore special budget earmarked for women, a sum of Rs 18,699 crore is for the Ladli Behna Yojana.
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India cancels Singapore-Chennai flight due to technical issue
New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) Air India on Sunday cancelled its flight from Singapore to Chennai due to a technical issue. In recent days, some of the Air India planes have faced technical snags.(File/Reuters) The flight AI349 was to be operated with an Airbus A321. In a statement on Sunday, the airline said the flight AI349 scheduled to operate from Singapore to Chennai has been cancelled due to a maintenance task identified prior to departure which required additional time for rectification. "Arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to Chennai at the earliest. Hotel accommodation is being provided, and full refunds on cancellation, or complimentary rescheduling is also being offered to passengers based on their preference," Air India said. According to the airline, ground colleagues in Singapore are making every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to this unforeseen disruption. In recent days, some of the Air India planes have faced technical snags.
Economic Times
8 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Piaggio expects L5 electric 3-wheeler penetration to reach 50pc by mid-2028
Small commercial vehicle maker Piaggio Vehicles is expecting L5 electric three-wheeler segment penetration in the domestic market reaching 50 per cent at the most by mid-2028, owing to a structural shift and other factors, a top company official has said. The company, which last month rolled out two new electric passenger three-wheelers -- the all-new Ape E-City Ultra and upgraded Ape FX Maxx- also said there is a need for the government to provide clarity on the issue of continuation of the incentives. Piaggio Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd (PVPL) is the Indian subsidiary of Italian auto major Piaggio Group. "There is a spike in the penetration of L5 category electric three wheelers in the country in the last one-and-a-half years. And this is when the government incentives under the FAME program have reduced to one-fourth in the same period," Diego Graffy, Chairman and Managing Director of PVPL, told PTI in an interaction. He said that if the level of penetration continues at this pace, "we expect this to reach 50 per cent by the end of 2027 or the beginning of mid-2028 even if the incentives are withdrawn, as there is a structural shift taking place in the market." There are two categories-- L5 and L3-- in the electric three-wheeler segment. L5 Category refers to three-wheeler auto-rickshaws for carrying passengers or cargo while e-carts fall in L3 category. Both the Central Government and state governments are promoting the faster adoption of EVs through various fiscal incentives to the EV buyers. The second phase of the government's flagship scheme, Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME), launched in 2019 with an initial outlay of Rs 10,000 crore, later increased to Rs 11,500 crore, ended in March last year. Subsequently, a new PM E-Drive Scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore for two years to boost EV sales, replacing FAME programme was announced in September 2024. "The Government reducing the subsidy to one-fourth in the last one-and-a-half years could have definitely been a big disruption (in terms of demand) but instead of depressing the market, it has only kept on increasing. It means that the change or the shift that is happening now is structural and not anymore incidental. And this shift is happening for multiple reasons," Graffy said. Apart from the structural shift, the factors for the higher penetration include improved charging infra, lower cost of acquisition and ease of financing and servicing. "These challenges have largely been addressed in this period leading to increased penetration, particularly of the passenger segment," he said. According to industry statistics, L5 passenger electric three-wheeler penetration accounted for 22.8 per cent in the total EV sales in FY 25 while the goods e-three-wheeler penetartion stood at 21.5 per cent in the same period. Also, in the April-June quarter of this fiscal, as much as 32.4 per cent of the total ev penetration was recorded in the passenger e-three wheeler segment and 22.8 per cent in the cargo e-three-wheeler segment. Graffy said that the adoption rate across Southern and Western parts of the country however, is still much lower, adding that, it is expected to increase in the next couple of years and when it happens, the overall penetration rate would go much higher than 50 per cent." He said that the e-commerce transition was leading to the demand for cargo e-three-wheelers, which is on the wane now while the passenger segment is picking up very rapidly due to the reason cited earlier. Due to a structural transition that we see, now the passenger segment will have a much higher rate of adoption in the next few months, he stated. He said that Piaggio Vehicles is "maintaining" more or less the pace at which the industry is growing, adding that the company keeps on renewing its product portfolio every two years since 2019 when it first introduced its e-three-wheeler in the country. "We are not doing (renewing products) so frequently unlike many other players are doing in the space. We prefer to take our time. So, we are reviving our products every two years trying to introduce new features with innovation and technology," he said. "We believe EVs are an opportunity to reshape urban transport and improve livelihoods. New ApA© E-City Ultra and ApA© E-City FX Maxx are being built with these realities in mind. They deliver what the Indian customer needs: best in class range, low battery degradation, strong performance, and minimal operating costs," Graffy said on the launch of the two models, which are priced at Rs 3.80-lakh and Rs 3.30 lakh, respectively. "These vehicles are enablers of economic mobility, future-ready solutions that can scale across cities and small towns alike. Our focus is not only on innovation but also on contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable future," he said. On the incentives, he said," uncertainty on (the continuation) of the incentives is definitely very disturbing and some clarity going forward is required." "Even if the government wants the incentives to discontinue from a particular date, declare it clearly so that every OEM can plan the strategy accordingly," Graffy said.
