This district of India all set to export black rice to Australia and New Zealand

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Chandauli, which is also known as the rice bowl of the Purvanchal, is gearing up to export black rice to countries, including New Zealand and Australia

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), an apex body for export promotion of Agri products, has already started planning for the same, according to Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal.

Assistant general manager of the export promotion council, CB Singh, said 90 metric tonnes of black paddy had been produced by a group of around 300 farmers in the Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district.

Per kilogram price of paddy is Rs 85 and after processing, it comes for Rs 160.

Anil Singh, a resident of Suriyawan Block, is the first farmer to cultivate black rice.

Singh said that he has not used any kind of chemical fertiliser in the cultivation and the farming is entirely based on an organic method.

It may be mentioned here that the development authority provides a platform to showcase India’s quality produce to the global market and has been promoting the export of various agricultural commodities.

It is worth noting that Black rice is majorly cultivated in Asian countries like China, India, Indonesia and Myanmar among others. In India, it is mainly grown in the eastern region of the country and is popularly known as Chak-hao in Manipur. It is a source of iron, vitamin E and antioxidants. The outermost layer of the rice contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanins. It is known for curing diabetes and cancer.