Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade (Marathi: दादाजी रामाजी खोब्रागडे; born 1939, died 3 June 2018)[1] was an Indian agronomist who bred and refined a high-yielding variety of paddy, HMT.[2][3]
D.R. Khobragade belonged to Nanded Village from Nagbhid Taluka of Chandrapur district, Maharashtra.[4]
Around 1983, Khobragade noticed a plant with slightly different appearance and yellowish seeds in his field planted with the 'Patel 3' variety of paddy, which he experimented on in the years to come. The new variety was found giving high yields compared to the varieties available at that time. By 1990, the variety was given a name HMT.[5]
Despite his innovation, Khobragade lived a poor and mostly neglected life.[6][7] He got some media attention when Forbes magazine named him among seven most powerful entrepreneurs of India in 2010.[8]
He first shot to fame when he accused the state-run Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV) of taking credit for the brand that he had originally bred on his farm and given to the university scientists in 1994.[9]
While Dadaji claimed the PKV had appropriated his variety, the PKV held that they sourced it from him and significantly improved the variety with their scientific inputs. The issue remains unresolved till date. PKV never officially gave Dadaji his credit in its varietal release proposal.[10]
The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) recognised his work in 2003-04 and the Maharashtra government gave him the Krishi Bhushan and Krishi Ratna awards for his innovations. One of his varieties called Chinnour is akin to the Basmati of the north. He named his latest variety after himself: DRK.[citation needed]
Awards
edit- First Richharia award for developing HMT and other paddy varieties.[6]
- 2005: Vasantrao Naik Krishibhushan Award.[11]
- 2005: National award for HMT paddy variety at third National Grassroots Innovation Awards.[2]
- 2009: Diffusion award for DRK paddy variety at fifth National Grassroots Innovation Awards.[12]
- 2010: Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishiratna award by Government of Maharashtra.[13]
Notes and references
edit- ^ "धान संशोधक दादाजी खोब्रागडे यांचं निधन" (in Marathi). Retrieved 2018-06-11.
- ^ a b "HMT - Paddy variety". National Innovation Foundation - India. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
- ^ "List of certificate issued up to 28.02.2019". 28 Feb 2019. Archived from the original on 2014-10-12.
- ^ "Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade: Rural Inventor Who Revolutionalised Rice Farming Breathes His Last". News18. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
- ^ BAVADAM, LYLA (28 Jan 2011). "Bitter harvest". Frontline. Archived from the original on 11 Feb 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ a b BAVADAM, LYLA. "Seeds man". Frontline. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ Menon, Meena. "Legacy in a grain". @businessline. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ Gupta, Anil (2010-04-11). "Anil Gupta Picks India's Seven Most Powerful Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-21.
- ^ "Rice of the rural kind". The Hindu. 2001-06-17. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "How a Rice Variety Bred by an Industrious Maharashtra Farmer Was Pirated (Update: NIF's Response)". The Wire. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "वसंतराव नाईक कृषिभूषण पुरस्कार". krishi.maharashtra.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "Diffusion DRK paddy variety | National Innovation Foundation-India". nif.org.in. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "डॉ. पंजाबराव देशमुख कृषिरत्न पुरस्कार". krishi.maharashtra.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- Kakoty, Sanjeeb (2013). "Appropriate technology movement". Strategies for Sustainable Technologies and Innovations. pp. 125–126. ISBN 9781781006832.
- Cox, Stan (2013). Any Way You Slice It. New Press. pp. 161–162. ISBN 9781595588098.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 https://vimeo.com/127400150 |