Gorakhpur: Eminent agricultural scientist and Padma Shri awardee Ram Chet Chaudhary was conferred the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Kalanamak Rice’ at a ceremony held at Hotel Ashoka, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, on Sunday.The award was presented by KisaanSay CEO Nitin Puri and Padma Shri recipient Ashok Gulati in recognition of Chaudhary’s decades-long contribution to the promotion, research and development of the traditional Kalanamak rice variety.Chaudhary, 81, is widely known for his pioneering work in reviving and improving Kalanamak rice, a premium aromatic variety native to eastern UP.As chairman of the Participatory Rural Development Foundation (PRDF), a Gorakhpur-based non-governmental organisation, he played a key role in developing an improved variety of Kalanamak rice that significantly enhanced productivity, nearly doubling its yield while retaining its distinctive qualities.Speaking after receiving the award, Chaudhary expressed happiness over the growing demand for Kalanamak rice and credited the support extended by CM Yogi Adityanath for promoting the crop.He noted that KisaanSay has emerged as one of the largest buyers of Kalanamak rice, purchasing around 6,000 quintals from PRDF this year, and expressed confidence that the volume could triple in the coming year.
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