Odisha’s rice warrior dedicates life to preserve India’s rare 1200 Indigenous rice species

When the government, farmers, and agri-scientists are chasing high-yielding and hybrid varieties, this rice warrior from Odisha’s Bargarh has dedicated his life to collecting and preserving India’s rare indigenous rice species.

Concerned with the native rice varieties dying a slow death, this rice warrior Sudam Sahu from Bargarh took it upon himself to preserve them till his last breath. Over the years, Sudam has collected more than 1200 native rice varieties and has opened a one-of-its-kind open-access seed bank in his village.

Not just preservation, Sudam is also encouraging other farmers to grow rice naturally instead of using chemical fertilizers, pesticides or pump sets for water irrigation. He even left a well-paying job to conserve, grow, multiply and distribute these seeds to the world. 

“I have collected and preserved at least 1200 varieties of indigenous rice species that are slowly becoming extinct. Not just rice, I have conserved traditional knowledge and traditional instruments too. My aim is pesticide-free food and atmanirbhar-organic farming,” said an elated Sudam Sahu.

“I’m very thankful and happy. He had got a job, but he refused to do it for this. Now, all his hard work has paid off and he is getting a lot of respect for his work. This is such a noble deed. He would have earned good money if he had taken up the job, but he did not care about it. Instead, he preferred respect. I’m happy for him,” said Sudam’s wife Shantilata Sahu.

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Apart from earning 6-7 lakhs per annum with his traditional paddy farming, he has created a lot of job opportunities for fellow villagers and those interested in farming.

“Instead of using fertilizers, he has taught us how to do farming in a traditional manner using manure. Even if there is less produce, the taste is far better than fertilized products. Moreover, it is very beneficial for our health and saves us from all kinds of diseases,” informed Pushpanjali Bhoi, a fellow farmer.