The Government of Manipur is planning to establish three to four Integrated Processing Facility Centres for the state’s indigenous black rice, popularly known as Chak Hao, with the objective of improving processing standards, packaging quality and farmers’ income.
The proposed Integrated Processing Facility Centres will include high-technology milling units designed to enhance the quality of packaged Chak Hao rice produced from paddy. The initiative is being taken up with support from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under its flagship central sector scheme, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. In addition, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has agreed in principle to provide funding for the upcoming facilities in the state.
The development was disclosed to Imphal Times Journalist by Peter Salam, Director of the Department of Agriculture, Government of Manipur, while speaking on the sidelines of the twenty-first Scientific Advisory Committee meeting of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Thoubal, held at the Directorate of Agriculture in Imphal on Friday. The Department of Agriculture, Manipur, is the host institute of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Thoubal, which functions under ICAR–ATARI, Zone Six, Umiam, Meghalaya.
Peter Salam stated that local rice mills are not suitable for processing Chak Hao when compared to normal rice, particularly in view of market requirements. He said buyers, especially those involved in exports, prefer well-packaged Chak Hao rice. To address this demand and to enhance farmers’ earnings, the proposed facilities will process Chak Hao both after husking and through proper packaging for sale.
He further informed that the Government of India has agreed to take up the Integrated Processing Facility Centre with additional infrastructure such as a parboiling unit, beginning with Thoubal district, where a rice breeder station with adequate technical expertise is already in place. Following Thoubal, three more Integrated Processing Facility Centres are proposed to be set up in Imphal East, Imphal West and Bishnupur districts, subject to requirements.
At present, Manipur produces around ten thousand metric tonnes of Chak Hao annually. Of this, about two thousand metric tonnes are consumed locally, while nearly eight thousand metric tonnes are available for export outside the state.
Meanwhile, Manipur’s Chak Hao recently received national attention when it was showcased in the Manipur tableau during India’s seventy-seventh Republic Day parade held at Kartavya Path in New Delhi on the twenty-sixth of this month.