Ratnagiri (Maharashtra):Farmer Dayanand Babaji Chaugule, who hails from Kharawate village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, has received a patent from the Union Agriculture Ministry for his two varieties of rice seeds.
Chaugule, a progressive farmer from Kharawate village, which is located on the Mumbai-Goa Highway in Rajapur tehsil, has been awarded a patent certificate by the Agriculture Ministry and Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth for his 'Mundga' and 'Servat' rice seeds on March 11. The patent was presented to Chaugule by the Dr Sanjay G Bhave, Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth at a function here.
The farmer has been earlier honoured with an 'Ideal Farmer Award' by the Maharashtra government's Department of Agriculture. Chaugule has been continuously experimenting in agriculture for several years. He has also been honored with various awards from several social organisations of Maharashtra.
He is being praised by villagers for the recognition which he has received. Rice is the staple food in Konkan region of Maharashtra. The Konkan region comprises three districts - Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. Farmers in the region mainly cultivate rice, mango, jack-fruit and banana as the climate is conducive for these crops.
A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem.
