Apatani Rice Arunachal Pardesh

                                                                         Hari Village

                                                              With an Apatani Woman

                                                                          Channel

                                                                 Hari village

                                                      Rice in Terraces at Hari Village

                                                      Finger Millets on the Bunds

                                                             Irrigation Channel

                                                                 Inlet and Outlet

Apatani valley or Ziro valley of Arunachal Pardesh is famous for organic (by default) folk rice cum fish cultivation. It is presumed that they hailed from China in 7th century during the spread of Buddhism. Arunachal Pradesh is a home of more than 20  Mongoloid tribal groups being the Adi, Apatani, Nyishi, Mising, Monpas etc. Apatanis have developed a special type of rice cum fish cultivation in their terraces during the months of May to October. After the harvest the rice the land is kept fallow.All the domestic animals start grazing at that time. Transplanting of rice is  completed in the last week of May. It seems that that the area is not affected by global warming and low rain fall.There is no dearth of water and the the soil is very rich in nutrients as the forest wash comes to the field, hardly requires any external material as an organic matter.There are 20 non glutinous folk rice varieties are in vogue and some of them are going to be lost having short duration.

There  was a proposal for  declaring the place as as World Heritage Site.But the people are not very aware of it and the land is being squeezed due to rapid unplanned  development. There are approximately 15000 people are living over there and in Hari village has the population of 2000 with 418 families. Hari village has the famous Apatani rice cultivation.

The varieties are : OWNED varieties -EMO,ERE  EMO , EIANG EMO, RADHE EMO, EMPU EMO. EMPU ERE, EMPU HATH

Own less round varieties:- PYAPIANG, PYAPIANG PIYANNI,JI PYAPIANG, MITU PYAPIANG, TIIPE PYAPIANG, OH PYAPIANG, 

MIPYA PYANYI, MIPYA PYARE, UTU ANYI, APA ANY ( As told by Mr Duyu Tadu, Agril Development Officer, Farmers' Training Cell, O/O the District Agricultural Officer, Ziro) 

They manage the irrigation channels with inlet and out lets in a very scientific manner. Each farmer does it as if they are manging the water on community basis.

They receive the nutrient and microbe rich and forest wash from the forest and it gives the proper food for the soil.The cultivation is on the terraces and water comes to low lying steps automatically.

 But the detailed data of the rice cultivation needs to be updated.Seedlings are not shown in line. But they are more interested in fish and the total out put is much higher than the mono crop of rice.

 Pl see www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/giahs/PDF/apatani_wet_rice_cultivation.pdf

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatani_people

www.indg.in/agriculture/fisheries/aquaculture-in-apatani-plateau-arunachal-

pradesh

 http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/india/1-farming-diversity/traditional-wisdom-of-apatanis-2013-a-way-to/at_download/article_pdf

    

Folk Rice Conservation at Pasighat , Arunachal Pradesh

At the house of Obong Yamso of Kelek mirbok village, Mebo, E Siang

Visited Pasighat of Arunachal Pardesh on 16th June, 2014 in search of information on folk rice . Stayed at Pasighat CAU.We visited two Adi farmers house in Mebo of East Siang district which is considered to be one of the rice bowls of AP. They do not add any chemical fertilizers and pesticide.Land is so fertile that it is not needed. Rain fall is adequate. Some own Mithun (cow like wild but docile animal) in the wild by giving a special mark on the ear and its numbers indicate one's social position. Some rice varieties ( wet paddy) can give a yield of 5- ton per ha.Rice bear Apong is popular and it offered to the guests. Most of the houses are made of bamboo, wood and TOKO leaves for thatching.I exchanged some rice varieties. Shillong and Itangar rice are very popular, There is no fascination for fine rice in the villages.

In side the bamboo house, the fire place

This is a fermentation process with charcoal with rice for making the rice bear Apong . It is not black rice

Fermenting material sold in the market

Offering of Apong, a kind of rice bear 

Obong Yamso an Adi farmer is showing the Apong making bamboo made instrument

At the house of Obong Yamso,  with the members of Yamso family, with white T shirt Mr T N Singh , Engineer of local PWD, Mr T Sengupta , with white and green t shirt Banker accompanied me. with light green shirt - Mr Dilip Mete, Engineer of local PWD. Mr Singh and Mr Mete helped me a lot in visiting the villages



Rice sellers at Pasighat market, Shillong and Itangar rice is very popular
4 folk rice in farmer's house, not parboiled rice