Nel Vizha in Delta hosts nearly 170 traditional varieties

From drought and flood resistant to medicinal value paddy that were revived from the verge of extinction in the modern era were made available by the organisers.

Owing to the medicinal value of the traditional paddy breeds, farmers who participated in the festival said that multispecialty hospitals in Chennai and Coimbatore have become their regular customers of the traditional paddy cultivated here in delta districts. As the cultivation cost of traditional paddy varieties cost only Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 per acre, which is 40 per cent less compared to the cost involved in conventional paddy cultivation, the average return are minimum Rs 75,000 per acre.

According to R Nel Jayaraman, our ancestors had exclusive paddy breeds to cultivate on peculiar periods. For drought, they had Poonkar and Varappu Mudainjan, which can survive without water for long. Similarly, to sustain floods, they had Matta Kaar, which can withstand inundation. Meanwhile, with the available network across the state, farmers belonging to “Save Our Rice” campaign have located the endangered traditional paddy seeds at the verge of going extinct, and tested them in available lands and subsequently the traditional paddy breeds that emerged successful have been promoted among the farmers’ network across the nation.

According to the Nel Vizha organisers, out of 170 traditional paddy varieties, Kavuli, Thengapoo Samba, Varappu Kudainjan, Matta Kaar, Kalan Namakku and Sivappu Pudavazhai are recently revived one with their respective value. The traditional paddy Karungkuruvai has been used for cancer patient while Neeladi Samba is used for lactation while Mappillai Samba for diabetics.

NABARD Principal General Manager Padma Ragunathan said that the bank has been promoting the traditional paddy seeds among the farmers. She urged the farmers to popularise these paddy varieties to the neighbouring state farmers too.

The vizha had a display of rare traditional paddy seeds with their details and around 1,000 farmers across the nation, including Karnataka, Kerala and AP who participated witnessed the display of paddy varieties.

The participants were given 2 kg traditional paddy seeds, which would be brought back to be 4 kg in the following year.