BAMBOO RICE SHOWS UP IN ODISHA

Prelims level : Economy | Major Crops & Cropping Patterns Mains level : Bamboo Rice
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Why in News?

  • Odisha is among the states known for a wide variety of rice, the staple food of eastern and north-eastern India and beyond. Bamboo Rice
  • Bamboo rice is special rice that is grown out of a dying bamboo shoot.  When the bamboo shoot breathes its last, it flowers into a rare variety of rice seeds, which are known as bamboo rice.
  • It is said that the bamboo rice harvesting is a major source of income for the tribal communities living in the interiors of Wayanad Sanctuary in Kerala.
  • The gates of Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary in Cuttack district Odisha have been recently opened for forest dwellers to come and collect the rice.

Significance:

  • The bamboo rice which grows only twice or thrice in a century. And it is being harvested now.
  • The last collected bamboo rice in Odisha was in 1979.
  • Whenever bamboo blossoms, the rat population increases. To prevent rats from running the rice, local villagers and forest dwellers collect bamboo rice.
  • Also, the rice then becomes a major source of income and food for villagers living near the forest.

Nutritional content:

  • The variety looks like paddy rice and tastes more like wheat.
  • It is believed to have low glycaemic index compared to other varieties and it is good for diabetics.
  •  It’s rich in proteins and does not contain any fat.
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