It is a short-grain, white, aromatic, sticky rice having a sweet buttery flavor. It derives its name from its usage as the principal ingredient in the preparation of the offerings to Govindaji, the family deity of the Setts of Kolkata.
Govind bhog was traditionally cultivated in the districts of Bardhaman, Hooghly, Nadia, and Birbhum. Later, it began to be cultivated in Bankura and Purulia. In Bihar, it is cultivated in Kaimur, naugachia, and other rice bowl areas.
The famous Govind bhog rice of the Kaimur district of Bihar will make Ramlala’s bhog in Ayodhya. Apart from God, food offerings for the devotees will also be made from this rice. For this, 60 quintals of rice have been sent to Ayodhya.
Acharya Kishore Kunal, head of the Mahavir Temple Trust, said that the Ram kitchen is going to be started in Ayodhya. For this, 60 quintals of Govind Bhog and shear rice were sent to Ayodhya.
At present, rice has been sent to the villages near Mundeshwari Mata temple in Mokri village of Kaimur. It is believed that the temple of Mata Mundeshwari is situated on the mountain. Every year the rainwater falls in the fields of Mokri village, touching the place of mother from the mountain. The water itself irrigates the fields of the entire village and some nearby villages. This is why rice produced in Mokri is more aromatic. He said that Govind Bhog and shear rice are famous in this area.
He said that at present, only rice has been sent to the villages near Mundeshwari Mata temple in Mokri village of Kaimur. It is believed that the temple of Mata Mundeshwari is situated on the mountain. Every year the rainwater falls in the fields of Mokri village, touching the place of the mother from the mountain. The water itself irrigates the fields of the entire village and some nearby villages. This is why rice produced in Mokri is more aromatic. He said that Govind Bhog and shear rice are famous in this area.
Lets know in detail about the famous Aromatic Govind Bhog Rice of Kaimur District of Bihar from the conversation with Shri Diwakar Singh of Ahinaura village of Mohania Block. He is a science graduate and engaged in agriculture for 15 years. But for the last several years now these he is cultivating crops like wheat, paddy, black gram, lentils, etc.
Govind bhog rice was generally being cultivated in the Kaimur district of Bihar but now it has been intensifying into various other states in India. Rice cultivation is also one of the major job opportunities in India as well. The Govind bhog rice cultivation played a major role in the agricultural market. The whole rice-growing industry was changed and got a lot of popularity over the world. Rice is one of the famous crops of all-time, this new project of Govind bhog rice made rice lovers come together and celebrate the beauty of the most staple diet ever.
Paddy, the main crop of the Kharif season, is planted almost all over India. If some things are taken care of from the beginning, then the paddy crop will give more profit. Paddy cultivation starts from nursery, so it is important to have good seeds. Many times the farmer applies expensive seed manure, but the right yield is not available, so the seed and field should be treated before sowing. Seeds do not have to be expensive but should be reliable and according to the climate and soil of your area. Shri Diwakar Singh, a Growing farmer from the Ahinaura village of Mohania Block of Kaimur District, Bihar, explains, “Paddy is cultivated in different states of the country and the weather is also different, varieties of paddy are developed everywhere. Therefore, farmers should cultivate only the varieties developed according to their region. “
He further adds, “From the beginning of May, farmers should start preparing for farming, so that they can plant the paddy as soon as the monsoon arrives.” Farmers should be aware of seed treatment. Paddy can be saved from many diseases by treating seeds. Farmers have to spend only 25-30 rupees in the process of seed treatment for planting one hectare of paddy.
Shri Diwakar Singh further explains the process of Govind Bhog cultivation & harvesting
Sowing of seed / transplanting of plants
Sowing of seed / transplanting of plants can be done by preparing the field and sowing it in Lehi method. Sow it in a nursery 6 inches above the ground already prepared for sowing by transplanting method and prepare a nursery of 20 to 25 days and transplant in the main field.
Prepare the saplings and prepare a nursery of sprouted seedlings for transplanting using SRI method (srividhi). Prepare the plants for 12 to 14 days, after that remove the plants with complete root and seeds. Immediately 25 cm in the nursery already prepared field. Sow in a queued distance. Plant only one to two plants at one place. Paddy markers can also be used to determine distances. Which is 25 cm from plant to plant and line to row. Makes a mark on the difference of. Transplant paddy with srividhi in the same field where there is no water. After sowing with srividhi, keep extracting water in the field and when needed, like in the wheat field, irrigate the paddy field and keep the soil moist. Do the rest of the crop management like normal paddy. By managing in this way, the farmer will definitely get more yield at a lower cost.
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
He also explains that ” Each growth stage of the rice plant has a different nutrient need. Keeping this in mind, farmers must ensure that the rice plant gets the proper nutrients at the right time So that they get good quality Govind Bhog Rice.
Prolonged flooding of rice fields ensures that farmers are able to conserve soil organic matter and also receive free input of nitrogen from biological sources. If higher yields are required, more nutrients must be added to the soil.
CROP HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Shri Diwakar Singh also explains about the process of maintaining the Crop health of Govind Bhog ” The rice plant can come under threat from different sources in the field. These include attack by rodents, insects, weeds and disease. Farmers use many different strategies to protect and maintain crop health.”
He explains that a good understanding of pest behavior, natural enemies, host plants, other organisms, and the environment help determine the type of pest management required.
He explains that farmers manage weed control through water management and land preparation, by hand weeding, and in some cases with the application of herbicides.
HARVESTING of GOVIND Bhog Rice
Shri Diwakar Singh further explains about-
Harvesting activity includes cutting, stacking, handling, threshing, cleaning, and hauling. Good harvesting methods help maximize grain yield and minimize grain damage and deterioration.
Harvesting can be performed manually or mechanically. Manual harvesting is common across Asia and involves cutting the rice crop with simple hand tools like sickles and knives.
Manual harvesting is very effective when a crop has fallen over. However, it is labour intensive. Manual harvesting usually requires 40 to 80 man-hours per hectare and it takes additional labour to manually collect and haul the harvested crop.
Mechanical harvesting using reapers or combine harvesters is the other option, but is not so common due to the availability and cost of machinery.
After cutting, the rice must be threshed to separate the grain from the stalk and cleaned. Threshing can be done by hand or machine.
POST HARVESTING of GOVIND BHOG RICE
Shri Diwakar Singh says that after harvest, the rice grain undergoes a number of processes depending on how it will be used. These steps include drying, storing, milling, and final processing.
Drying is the process that reduces grain moisture content to a safe level for storage. Drying is the most critical operation after harvesting a rice crop. Delays in drying, incomplete drying or ineffective drying will reduce grain quality and result in post harvest losses.
Proper storage conditions will ensure minimal loss of paddy rice due to changes in weather and moisture content, rodents, insects, microorganisms etc.
Milling of rice is a crucial post-production step. The basic objective of a rice milling system is to remove the husk and the bran layers and to produce an edible, white or brown rice kernel that is sufficiently milled and free of impurities. Then,we get finally Aromatic Govind Bhog Rice.
Commercial Value
Shri Diwakar Singh explains that 15-16 quintals of produce is obtained from 1 acre of cultivation. He says that they get up to 5500-8000 INR/quintal for Govind Bhog Rice.
Shri Diwakar Singh also explains that Govind Bhog Rice is rich in essential oils which gives it unique aroma.
