Kalajeera

Description

THE CULTURAL & ECOLOGICAL LIFE OF THIS RICE

Kalajeera is tall, late-maturing lowland scented variety that is nicknamed as the ‘Prince of Rice.’ It counts among the surviving and revived native rices of the famed “Jeypore tract”: considered a centre of origin and diversity of indica rice varieties. The Jeypore tract lies across highland plateaus of the Eastern Ghats in the district of Koraput; it is a hilly region with altitudes up to 1500m and coming down nearly to sea-level. Nearly half its population is tribal, 52 communities in total, with the Khond, Bhatada, Paroja, Bhumia and Gadaba in the largest numbers. It has historically been the region with the greatest rice diversity in all India; “During 1955-59, the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack collected 1,745 germplasm accessions of cultivated rice and 150 accessions of wild rice from Jeypore tract of Orissa under a project Jeypore Botanical Survey” [Mishra 2009: 275].

Arunachalam et al. [2006] report on the efforts of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation’s initiatives among marginal and small rice farmers in Koraput, to make conservation and commercialization mutually reinforcing. The efforts have aimed at helping tribal farmers have a stake in the conservation of desirable rice landraces such as Kalajeera, Haladichudi, and Machakanta. Building on these efforts, the Kalinga Kalajeera Rice Growers Cooperative Society has promoted Kalajeera for large-scale cultivation with support from the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation. Acreage under cultivation went as a result from less than 1 in 2000, to nearly 100 in 2009 [Equator Initiative, nd]

Kalajeera’s small oval grains are highly scented, and hence used by the tribal communities for festivals and special occasions. The seeds are sown in the second week of June and transplanted when they are about 3 weeks old. The plants reach a height of about 122 cm – 127 cm. Each plant produces about 5 to 8 panicles of 30 cm length (approx.), and the panicle density is good with well-filled grains.

This paddy has been cultivated by the tribal farmers of Koraput using traditional methods and ancient tools that have been used for centuries. Even the manure used is completely organic in nature. No pesticides are used.

For maintaining the purity of the landrace, the farmers follow a cascaded selection process. As a first, the undersized (and presumably weaker) grains are separated from the heavier and healthier ones by using a buoyancy method. The next round of selection is carried out just after the harvesting. Healthy and dense panicles are cherry picked by the womenfolk and threshed by feet to separate the paddy without causing any damaged to the germ.

Kalajeera is one of the rice varieties being researched by the Central University of Odisha for resistance to adverse weather conditions like drought, rising salinity, and flooding. And it has shown promising results so far outperforming some of the varieties developed in the lab. But tribal farmers have been encouraged to sell only rice and not paddy, for fear of “the farmer-purified landrace passing out of the control of poor tribal farmers” (Arunachalam 2007).

Other names for this rice: Kala Jeera, Kalajira, Pure Jeypore Kalajeera, Koraput Kalajeera

NUTRITIONAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

• The GI application cites that Kalajeera rice is beneficial in improving memory and controlling diabetes.
• It further states that Kalajeera rice has antispasmodic, carminative, antibacterial, astringent and sedative properties.
• It is stated to improve metabolism and increase haemoglobin levels.
• It is traditionally consumed during the spring season as the locals believe that it gives strength to the body.

CULINARY USES

• Like many aromatic rices, kalajeera’s first culinary application is in making kheer (rice pudding)!
• It is traditionally consumed during the festivals like Chitalagi Amabasya and Chaitra Parab.
• Kalajeera rice is important to the ritual worship of the tribals in Jeypore tract. It is also offered to the temple deities.
• As it ages, the rice fluffs up quite well; it has comparatively (to a Haryana Basmati variety) low stickiness, and low time of cooking and softness respectively. Combined with its unique aroma and taste, it is good candidate for a table rice.

WHO GROWS THIS RICE & WHERE CAN I BUY?

• Kaljeera is available in the tribal markets after the harvest and in the annual fairs like Adivasi Mela organised by Odisha government.
• Kalajeera rice is also available at Mission Shakti and Adisha outlets in Odisha.
• ORMAS is one of the organizations that markets Kalajeera rice and makes it available on online platforms.

Other groups involved with rice conservation in various capacities may also sell Kalajeera grown in other areas, but the finest character of a rice is typically a product of its native growing tracts, so it is perhaps best to acquire this only from Koraput sources—supporting the farmers who grow them directly in the process. Even so, here are a list of other good sources

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• GI application for Koraput Kalajeera Rice: View the complete application here.

• Arunachalam VA, Chaudhury SS, Sarangi SK, Ray T, Mohanty BP, Nambi VA, and Mishra S. 2006. Rising on Rice: The Story of Jeypore. A manual published by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

• Arunachalam VA, Chaudhury SS, Ray T, Sarangi SK, Mohanty BP, and Nambi VA. 2007. Jeypore Kalajeera: Orissa’s Gift to Quality Rice Lovers. A manual published by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. AMM Prints, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

• Behera, Prafulla & Kumar, Vajinder & Sharma, Shyam & Lenka, Sangram & Panda, Debabrata. (2022). Genotypic diversity and abiotic stress response profiling of short-grain aromatic landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L. Indica). Current Plant Biology. 33. 100269. 10.1016/j.cpb.2022.100269.
• Equator Initiative, nd. “Tribal Communities Of The Jeypore Tract Of Orissa.” Equator Initiative Case Studies.
• Mishra, Smita. “Farming System in Jeypore Tract of Orissa, India.” Asian Agri-History Vol. 13, No. 4, 2009, pp. 272-292.
• Mishra, Smita, Susanta Sekhar Chaudhury, and VA Nambi. “Sustaining Rice Landraces In-situ and on Farm through Biocultural Diversity in Koraput, Odisha, India.” Asian Agri-History Vol. 17, No. 2, 2013 (123–139)