Farmers in Bihar hoped to strike gold with black rice, a nutritious and potentially profitable crop. However, their attempts have been met with disappointment due to several factors.
Here’s the story:
- Inspired by Assam’s success with black rice, some Bihar farmers started growing it a few years ago.
- They faced challenges: applying the wrong fertilizer and difficulty finding buyers due to lack of market awareness.
- Despite lower yields compared to regular rice, the dream of high prices lured more farmers to try black rice.
- Unfortunately, the reality was different. They ended up selling their harvest for much lower than expected.
Why did it fail?
- Lack of government support: Unlike Assam, which actively helped farmers with black rice cultivation and marketing, Bihar offered no such assistance.
- Knowledge gap: Farmers lacked proper training on growing black rice, leading to mistakes like using the wrong fertilizer.
- Market disconnect: Consumers in Bihar weren’t familiar with black rice, leading to low demand.
A glimmer of hope:
- Dr. Neelanjaya from a local agricultural university is willing to provide seeds to farmers if the government shows initiative.
- Black rice has immense potential due to its nutritional value and unique taste.
Lessons learned:
Bihar’s black rice experiment highlights the importance of government support, farmer education, and market development for the success of new crops.
The story also mentions Assam’s contrasting success:
- Upendra Rabha, a pioneering farmer in Assam, received government backing and helped establish a black rice production network.
- Today, Assam enjoys a thriving black rice industry with exports and a strong domestic market.
Bihar can learn from Assam’s approach to create a win-win situation for farmers and consumers. Read More: https://bit.ly/3xnufKN
