Uttar Pradesh to export 'Buddha's rice' to Singapore
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Lucknow, Feb 22: The state of Uttar Pradesh is all set to export a consignment of 20 tonnes of Kala Namak rice to Singapore. Uttar Pradesh state's current move is a major boost to the farm exports from the state. The 20 tonnes consignment is to be sent to Singapore from Siddharth Nagar. The Uttar Pradesh state govt has also declared the agricultural product that is to be exported to Singapore as Once District One Product of Siddharth Nagar.
According to Additional Chief Secretary, MSME, and Export Promotion Dr Navneet Sehgal, the Kala Namak Rice is being packaged in glass jars which also mentions the qualities of rice on it. The packaging of the Kala Namak rice comprises the popular quote of Mahatma Buddha of “The unique aroma of the rice will remind people about me”. It has also been announced that the state will start observing the Kala Namak Rice festival on the line of the Strawberry Festival. The UP state govt has also planned to set up a Kala Namak Rice Research Centre at Siddharth Nagar in association with the International Rice Research Centre, Varanasi.
Also known as 'Buddha ka Mahaprasad', based on the fact that the rice is an offering to Lord Buddha, the Kala Namak Rice has been rebranded as 'Buddha Rice', presenting it as an offering made to the Buddhist monks, in order to promote it in Buddhist countries. The export of the rice from Siddharth Nagar is posing as a morale booster for farmers cultivating Buddha Rice in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Sant Kabeer Nagar, Bahraich, Balrampur, Gonda, Shravasti, which according to the Geographical Indications (GI) share a similar climate.
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The One District One Product is an initiative undertaken by the Central govt, which has been initiated as a transformational step forward so as to realize the true potential of a district. The initiative will also fuel economic growth and generate employment and rural entrepreneurship to achieve the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The OCOP initiative is operationally merged with the ‘Districts as Export Hub’ initiative. It is being implemented by Department of Commerce along with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) which is acting as a major stakeholder.
