Sathyanarayana Beleri
Sathyanarayana Beleri is a farmer and also a paddy conservator of Nettinge village in Bellur Gramapanchayath in Kasaragod district in Kerala.[1][2] A man who turned to agriculture after completing his studies in the 10th standard, is now maintaining a gene pool of more than 650 varieties of rice using innovative methods developed by him. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, a statutory body under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Govt of India, conferred on Sathyanarayana Beleri the Plant Genome Savior Farmer Reward for the year 2018-19 for his efforts in conserving plant agro-biodiversity.[1] In the year 2024, Govt of India honoured Sathyanarayana Beleri by conferring the Padma Shri Award for his contributions to agriculture.[3][4]
The rice varieties in his collection include Chitteni, Akrikaaya, Narikela, Suggi kayame, Vellatuven, Gandhasaale, Jeerige Sanna, Ghangadale, Kumkumsaale, Kalame, Kottambarasaale, Karigajavile, Raajamudi, Jugal Kagga, Karijeddu, Parambu Ucchan, Mysooru mallige.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Plant Genome Saviour Award". coapad.kau.in. College of Agriculture, Padannakkad. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Ullasa M Y. "Saving heirloom paddy varieties". www.deccanherald.com. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ George Poikayil (26 January 2024). "One man genebank: Kasaragod farmer who conserves 650 rice varieties to get Padma Shri". ONmanorama. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Deepthy Sanjiv (25 January 2024). "Padma Shri Award comes with more responsibility: Beleri". Times of India. Retrieved 29 January 2024.