State puts progressive farmer Khobragade in Std VI textbook

Chandrapur: Maharashtra State Board of textbook production and curriculum research has included a chapter on progressive farmer and agriculture searcher, DadajiKhobragade from Nanded in Nagbhidtehsil in Std VI Marathi Balbharti textbook. Khobragade, who was once a marginal farmer, is known for invention of his high yielding HMT brand of paddy.
Dadaji Khobragade (70) was a marginal farmer having only three acres of land, when in 1983 he began breeding new variety of rice and in span of few years developed a variety that gave much higher yield compared to that of conventional one.By 1989 higher yield with newly developed HMT variety of rice gained high acclamation and its demand skyrocketed in no time. He was even named in the Forbes' list of seven most powerful rural Indian entrepreneurs, whose ‘inventions are changing lives’ of the people across the country.
Back in November 2010, when TOI had highlighted dismal economic condition of Khobragade after his name was included in Forbes’ list, government stepped in to extend a helping hand to the aggrieved paddy researcher. The then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar himself visited Dadaji Khobragde at his home in Nanded village to meet him. The Nationalist Congress Party had given him monetary aid of Rs1 lakh and party had later gifted him five acres of land to continue his research.
So far, Khobragade has received 12 awards for his research. It includes Rashtrapati award, state government's Krushi Bhushan award and the award given by National Innovative Foundation for his contribution in the field of agriculture. Various state governments including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana have felicitated Khobragade for his achievements. His HMT variety of paddy is cultivated in more than one lakh hectares of land in five states.
Taking cognisance of his great achievement, state board of textbook production and curriculum research has included Dadaji Khobragade's chapter in Marathi textbook of Std VI. The chapter has details of efforts taken by Khobragade for invention of HMT variety of rice.