B K Deva Rao, an 81-year-old rice conservator and Plant Genome Saviour Awardee, has called on farmers to revive paddy cultivation not only to conserve native rice strains but also to safeguard the environment.
Speaking at the Press Club’s Guest of Honour event in Mangaluru, Rao said paddy fields naturally recharge groundwater and sustain water bodies. He stressed their role as essential rainwater harvesting systems.
Rao has conserved over 300 indigenous rice varieties on his five-acre organic farm in Mittabagilu, near Ujire. He expressed alarm over the drastic decline in traditional rice types — from 2 lakh once to just 25,000 today. Varieties like ‘atikaya’ and ‘atikaraya’ offer medicinal and nutritional benefits, he said, urging farmers to return to organic methods for soil and crop health.
He noted that paddy land in his village has shrunk from 200 acres to just 10 acres, attributing the decline to lack of government support. “Farmers must get fair prices for their efforts,” he added.
His son, B K Parameshwar Rao, an engineer-turned-farmer, revealed that rice production costs range from ₹120–₹150 per kg, yet market prices remain unsustainable. He urged the forest department to plant wild fruits and tubers in forests to help reduce crop raids by wild animals.
The event ended with a felicitation of Deva Rao by Press Club president P B Harish Rai and other dignitaries