NAKHON PATHOM, Aug 9 (TNA) – Kasetsart University begins its annual rice
cultivation to celebrate the 87th birthday anniversary of Queen Sirikit, the
queen consort of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Marking the Queen’s birthday on August 12, the university’s Kamphaeng
Saen Campus in Nakhon Pathom province on Friday held the 15th annual rice-planting
programme to honour the queen.
Students, lecturers, researchers and staff members of the
university planted saplings of Riceberry, a registered rice variety developed
by the university, on a 5-acre plot.
The timing of the rice planting around the Queen’s birthday
and Thailand’s Mother’s Day allows growers to harvest it in early December when
Thailand celebrates Father’s Day on December 5, which is King Bhumibol’s
birthday.
Riceberry is a cross-breed of Jao Hom Nin and Khoa Dawk Mali
105, created by the Rice Science Center, Kasetsart University. The purple grain rice is rich in nutrition
with great health benefits by reducing the risks of chronic diseases like
diabetes, heart disease, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and cancers. (TNA)