Gandhakasala rice is a variety of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

cultivated by the farmers in

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

District in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. This is a scented variety of rice grown mostly by the members of the tribal communities of in

Panamaram Panamaram is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census, Panamaram had a population of 11651 with 5891 males and 5760 females. Panamaram River Panamaram River is a tributary of the Kabani River ...

Sultan Bathery Sultan Bathery is a town and municipality in Wayanad district of Kerala, India, near the borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states. The largest town in Wayanad district, it is the headquarters of Sultan Bathery taluk. The place came to ...

, and

Mananthavady Mananthavady is a municipality and ''taluk'' in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. Etymology The popular view on the etymology is that the word is derived from "Maane Eytha Vady" (English: "The place where an arrow was shot at the deer"). T ...

areas in Wayanad. As of 2010, ''gandhkasala'' is cultivated in an area of 327 hectares and ''jeerakasala'' in 22 hectares. ''Gandhakasala'' is one of two varieties of scented rice cultivated in Wayanad the other one being ''Jeerakasala'' rice. Both varieties have been identified as having potential to compete with the well known varieties of scented rice like

basmati rice Basmati, , is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which is traditionally grown in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.

and

jasmine rice Jasmine rice ( th, ข้าวหอมมะลิ; ; ) is a long-grain variety of fragrant rice (also known as aromatic rice). Its fragrance, reminiscent of ''pandan'' (''Pandanus amaryllifolius'') and popcorn, results from the rice plant's na ...

. Because of the disease-resistant properties, high nutritional value, fine taste and cooking properties, this variety of rice is traditionally used in special occasions like wedding feasts.

Characterization

MS Swaminathan Research Foundation The M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) is a nonprofit NGO trust based in Chennai, India. It develops and promotes strategies for economic growth that directly target increased employment of poor women in rural areas. Their methods maxi ...

(MSSRF) has characterized this variety of rice in terms of descriptors developed by National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) and International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). More than 40 descriptors have been used in this characterization. The Community Agrobiodiversity Center in

Kalpetta Kalpetta is a major town and municipality in the Wayanad district, state of Kerala, India. Kalpetta is the headquarters of Wayanad district, as well as the headquarters of Vythiri taluk. It is a bustling town surrounded by dense coffee and tea ...

, Wayanad, established by MSSRF has actively been involved in efforts to conserve these specialty varieties of rice since 1997.

Certification as Farmers' Varieties

The paddy seeds of ''gandhakasala'', along with ''jeerakasala'' and four more varieties, were given certification as Farmers’ Varieties under the provisions of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. This was made possible due to the efforts of SEED CARE, an association of traditional paddy cultivators of Wayanad, under the guidance of MSSRF’s Community Agro-biodiversity Centre. Nationally, this certification has been given to 545 varieties so far, but the Wayanad rice varieties are unique as certification is under the category of that given to a "farming community".

Geographical Indication registration

Both ''jeerakasala'' and ''gandhakasala'' rice have been registered with the Geographical Indications (GI) registry of Government of India in 2010. This was due to the joint efforts of

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) is a State university (India), state university for agricultural education, recognised as a Agricultural Universities (India), State Agricultural University (SAU) by the Indian Council of Agricultural Resea ...

and Wayanad Zilla Nellulpadaka Karshaka Samithi. It was the agro-ecological conditions, the methods of organic cultivation, traditional genetic makeup of cultivars, and unique processing technologies that has produced the specific aroma and flavour of ''jeerakasala'' and ''gandhakasala'' rice varieties.

References

{{reflist Geographical indications in Kerala Rice Culture of Wayanad district