He Speaks

Atrocitynews team had taken efforts to investigate the HMT rice patent propritory matter. The team extensively talked to  D R Khorbragade .

We put the exerpts of the talks for readers benefit>>

DRK speaks on 6 June 2007

“My most of the varieties of rice are  stolen now . They are sold in local market by vairous dub-names. Some of the names are deliberately put as OmShanti, Shriram etc . I invented various varieties given below yearwise (with their perverted identities used in local market in italics)-
.
1983 – HMT-  HMT
1987 – Nanded Chinnor- Thengu chalan
1992 – Nanded 92- Thengu
1994 – Nanded heera- OmShanti1
1996 – Vijay nanded- Om Shanti2
1997 – Deepak ratna- Om Shanti3
1998 – DRK- Shriram or Prabhakar heera

In June 1994, Dr Moghe from Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapith took specimen of 3  species from me for further experimentations. However, I did not get any information from him.  Later I learnt he died in the same year.  I also learnt that Dr Nimbalkar at PKV, Akola took over the charge of experimentation with the specimens. It is said that that he  (allegdly) purifed the specimens and brought them in market.  Meanwhile MLA and MP of the area purchased varieties from me and got healthy crops.

On 29th Dec 2006, I was invited by authorities of PKV Akola for felicitation. They gave me shawl but no appreciation certification and they sent me back without even travelling expenses. And later I came to know the same species made commercial in market by PKV in much purified version. I was very sad. Though, since then, I am constantly awarded with shawls and many time with even thefts by people and Institutions.  I have only 1.5 acres of land for experimentations. Can you imagine how i am keeping my family alive on produce from small piece of land ?”

Intellectual dishonesty

68-yr-old Dadaji Ramaji Khobragade is a Indian Buddhist farmer with a grouse. Ten years ago he shot to fame for breeding a variety of rice called Hmt which went on to become one of the highest yielding varieties in the region.It even became popular in neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In Maharashtra it is grown in over 6,88,000 hectares reports NDTV.

Dadaji Khobragade, HMT Rice Variety Developer

“When my neighbours took it to the market to sell it, the traders could immediately tell this was different variety and asked for its name. One of the farmers was wearing an Hmt watch and decided to call the rice variety that. Eversince it been called Hmt rice”.

Grassroots innovation like Khobragade’s are classic example of necessity being the mother of invention. And yet he is a bitter man today. While the seeds he helped develop sell for as much as 1500 rupees a quintal he’s got nothing. Leave alone money even recognition seems to be taking its time finding him.

By 1994 when Hmt became a rage with paddy farmers as far as Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The local agricultural university took 5 Kgs kg of HMT seeds from Khobragade saying that the rice station wanted to experiment with it. In 1998, the university released a new variety in the State called Pkv hmt after the researchers say they “purified” the seed they had obtained from Khobragade.

Sharad Nimbalkar, VC Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth says”The original seed may have come from Khobragade but now it is entirely the University’s intellectual property.”

In a tragic twist of fortunes. Khobragade has fallen on hard time. He has to work for daily wages to support his seven-member family but his grassroots research has helped fellow farmers.

Dadaji Khobragade, Rice Variety Developer says “I have worked very hard to develop this new variety of paddy. I though this will help me and my family economically. But today we lead a hard life due to poverty.”

Bhimrao Shende, Neighbour says ” In 1990 we all had haystack roofs… Now we have pucca roofs and better homes and our village’s economic condition has improved because of his high yield producing seeds”.

Khobragade has not lost hope. He showed us his six new varieties of rice. Each of them carefully framed and labelled. One of them is called Drk after himself. He’s asked the government to convince the university to allow him to claim royalty for his variety of rice.

D R Khobragade indiginious research thesis, who is going to hear from him