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Tribal farmer Cheruvayal Raman dies at 74

By Drooid · Oct 15, 2026, 4:08 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Cheruvayal Raman Dies

Tribal farmer Cheruvayal Raman died at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on October 14, 2026, aged 74.
He protected more than 45 traditional rice varieties, including Gandhakashala and red-grained Thondi.
He received the Padma Shri in 2023 for conserving indigenous paddy seeds.
The Union Ministry awarded him the Plant Genome Saviour Award in 2016.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi posted condolences on X.

Summary

Cheruvayal Raman Seeds

He cultivated 55 rice varieties on three acres, allocating tiny plots for each strain.
He freely shared seeds with farmers, asking only a portion of their harvest in return.
He lived in a thatched straw-and-bamboo three-room house with a narrow walkway despite national honors.
In 2018 he presented his rice-conservation mission at an international symposium in Brazil.

History

Historical Context

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, signed in Madrid in 2001, created a framework for conserving and sharing crop diversity. Norway opened the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2008, now storing over 4.5 million seed samples. The treaty’s farmer-rights clause, echoed in Kerala’s Cheruvayal Raman seed exchanges and the 2019 UN Declaration, pushes governments such as India to fund grassroots custodians.

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Cheruvayal Raman Dies

Tribal farmer Cheruvayal Raman died at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on October 14, 2026, aged 74.
He protected more than 45 traditional rice varieties, including Gandhakashala and red-grained Thondi.
He received the Padma Shri in 2023 for conserving indigenous paddy seeds.
The Union Ministry awarded him the Plant Genome Saviour Award in 2016.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi posted condolences on X.

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