All You Need To Know About Jeeraphool Rice: GI-Tag, Cultivation, Significance, Role of Farmers, Marketing Problems

The jeeraphool variety of rice is a native, traditional and aromatic type of short grain rice that is found in northern parts of Chhattisgarh. This rice has been named after “Jeera” (meaning cumin) and “Phool” (meaning flower) in Hindi language because of its distinctive aroma and soft texture along with the characteristic cumin like appearance. The jeeraphool variety is mainly found in Surguja area of Balrampur district in Chhattisgarh. It is grown by the local farmers through conventional means in this area. Jeeraphool was given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in March 2019.

What is Jeeraphool Rice?

Jeeraphool is a short-grained aromatic type of rice from Chhattisgarh. The grains are small and resemble those of cumin seeds; hence, the name Jeeraphool.

The rice is prized because of,

• Its distinct natural smell
• Softness of grains when cooked
• Good taste
• Small-sized grains resembling cumin seeds
• Conventional methods of production
• Cultural connection with northern part of Chhattisgarh

Jeeraphool has been traditionally produced by farmers in Surguja district for personal use and marketing in the locality.

Reasons Behind the Name “Jeeraphool” for Jeeraphool Rice

This is attributed to its physical appearance, which has similarities to jeera, that is, being small-sized and shaped like it. The name “phool” is used due to its aromatic nature.

The aroma of this type of rice is regarded as one of its most important quality factors. The locals attribute the aroma and texture of the rice to their traditional farming methods in the area.

GI Status for Jeeraphool Rice

Jeeraphool rice got the Geographical Indication tag on 14 March 2019.

Geographical Indication tags products, whether agricultural, handloom or otherwise, the qualities of which have an essential association with the geographical region from which they come.

GI tags are important for traditional agricultural varieties, such as Jeeraphool, in that they aid in safeguarding the regional identity of the variety and increase its market value.

It also draws attention to the need for conservation of India’s agricultural diversity.

Where is Jeeraphool Rice Cultivated?

Jeeraphool rice is predominantly grown in north Chhattisgarh, especially in the Surguja belt.

An economic survey carried out during 2024–25 assessed the cultivation of Jeeraphool rice in the Northern Hills agroclimatic belt of Chhattisgarh. The Batauli block of Surguja district was chosen for the survey, comprising six villages.

It was observed that Jeeraphool rice was cultivated in various sizes of land holdings.

Economic Significance of Cultivation of Jeeraphool

Not only being a traditional food crop, Jeeraphool is also an economically significant variety of rice.

As per the estimate made in the study, the overall cost of cultivation was around ₹59,588 per hectare, whereas the gross income stood around ₹1.25 lakh per hectare.

It can be seen from the above figures that the cultivation of Jeeraphool had been economically viable during the period of study for all the farm sizes considered.

Role of Tribal Farmers

Growing Jeeraphool rice also has another aspect to it, namely, social and cultural one.

In the sample of 150 households considered in this study, 95.33% belonged to Scheduled Tribes. This proves the connection of growing Jeeraphool and traditional farming communities.

This particular crop is not merely a product of agriculture; its growing also helps preserve knowledge of farming as well as traditional food culture and crop variety of the area.

How is Jeeraphool Rice Used?

There are several traditional dishes prepared using Jeeraphool rice. The flour of this rice has a smooth structure and is used for preparing dishes such as,

• Chausela
• Anarsa
• Traditional rice dishes
• Others made of rice flour

Marketing Problems and Profits of Farmers

Three major marketing systems were found in the study,

• Producer to Consumer
• Producer to Village Trader to Processor/Wholesaler to Retailer to Consumer
• Producer to Agent/Cooperative Society to Consumer

The second system was the one that most farmers used, comprising 66.66% of the farmer samples in the study.

However, the use of direct marketing provided greater profit percentage for the farmers from the consumer price. In direct producer-to-consumer system, 100% of consumer price was received by the farmers while only 41.67% in the trader system.