Dinajpur farmers cash in on black rice

More and more farmers in Dinajpur are now growing black rice, rich in medicinal and nutritional properties, after learning that this high-yielding variety is less affected by pests and can be harvested within 90 days of planting.

Moreover, the paddy and rice prices are much higher than regular white or brown rice, making it a lucrative option for farmers.

These paddy plants are green like other varieties, but the husk is dark purple or black, and the rice is also black.

Additional Director of Dinajpur Agriculture Department Pradeep Kumar Guhasaid out of 13 upazilas inDinajpur, cultivation of black rice has started in eight upazilas.Among these, 20 deciaml in Sadar, 70 decimal in Birganj, 40 in Kaharol, 15 in Parbatipur, 50 in Biral, 10 in Chirirbandar, 40 in Phulbari and 144 in Hakimpur have been brought under black paddy cultivation this year.

Prices of as well as demand for black rice and paddy are much higher than regular varieties available in the market.

The rice is sold at Tk300-400 per kg in local markets while the price isTk 1000 in Dhaka, said Deputy Director of the district Agriculture Extension Department (DAE) Nuruzzaman.

HakimpurUpazila Agricultural Officer Dr Mumtaz Sultana said, “Farmers have cultivated black rice in threebigha land in the upazila. The outer portion of the rice is black, but the inside is reddish in colour. We are encouraging farmers to cultivate the paddy. We hope the farmers will cultivate more black rice in the future as its yield is good.”

MozaffarRahman, a farmer of Phulbariupazila, said he has cultivated black rice on 10 decimal of land. He hopes that he will get good yield.

Dhanjjoy Roy, a farmer of Farakkabad village under Biralupazila, said that he started the rice cultivation in the hope of making profit.“Hope the yield will be good. I will profit by selling rice,” he added.

AkterHossain of a nearby village came to see this rice field. He watched this rice on YouTube. He said the seeds of this variety are sold for Tk 400 per kg.

“Many farmers in Dinajpur are now cultivating this. I am also thinking of growing this rice in my village,” he added.

Another local, Akmakl had heard that this rice has medicinal properties. Many diseases can be avoided by consuming black rice regularly. So, he will collect this rice and try it.

Black rice has a deep black colour and usually turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple colour is primarily due to its anthocyanin content, which is higher by weight than that of other coloured grains.

This super food benefits heart and diabetic patients and offers hope to those who wish to control their weight. Among the various anthocyanins in black rice, one known as Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) demonstrates an appetite satisfying property by boosting adiponectin and decreasing blood levels of leptin, said DAE Deputy DirectorNuruzzaman.

Black rice has about three grams of fibre and 8.5 grams of protein per 100 grams, while brown and red rice contains eight grams and seven grams of protein, respectively, for the same amount. On the other hand, polished white rice contains only 6.8 grams of protein.

This fibre helps sugar from the grain to be absorbed by the body over a longer duration of time, thereby maintaining consistent sugar levels and preventing the risk of diabetes. It also acts as a natural detoxifier, he added.