Skip to main content

Sali:Harvest under way

Assam, India

Heritage rice from Assam, grown in season

Indigenous varieties from Assam’s winter Sali crop, alongside seasonal produce from the farm. Order for your home, or enquire about wholesale for your restaurant or store.

The Assam Rice Year

অসমৰ ধানৰ বৰ্ষপঞ্জী · চাৰিটা শস্য ঋতু

Now in the fields

November

Sali and Bao harvest; Boro in the nursery

  • Saliশালি

    Harvesting

    Transplant Jun–Jul · Harvest Nov–Jan

    winter rice · Assam’s main crop, about 1.9 million hectares, transplanted in the monsoon.

  • Baoবাও

    Harvesting

    Sow Apr–May · Harvest Nov–Jan

    deep-water rice · Sown before the floods in Majuli, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Sivasagar; its stems lengthen as the Brahmaputra rises.

  • Boroবোৰো

    In the nursery

    Nursery Nov–Dec · Harvest May–Jun

    summer rice · Irrigated rice, about 0.4 million hectares, grown through the dry months and cut before the floods.

  • Ahuআহু

    Off season

    Sow Feb–Apr · Harvest Jun–Jul

    autumn rice · Early rice of 80–130 days, direct-seeded before the monsoon.

  • Sow or transplant
  • In the field
  • Harvest and fresh milling
  • This month
Bohag Bihu · Apr
The Assamese new year, as the farming year begins
Kati Bihu · Oct
Lamps lit in the Sali fields, an akash banti high on a bamboo pole, as the grain fills
Magh Bihu · Jan
The Uruka feast, with the Sali harvest in and the granaries (bhoral) full

Crop calendar based on the Assam Agricultural University Rice Knowledge Bank. “Now” is this month in India Standard Time (Asia/Kolkata).

Rice varieties of Assam

Assam’s rice year has four crops — Sali, Bao, Ahu and Boro. These varieties are all grown in Sali, the main winter crop, harvested from late October to December.

  • Black rice

    Kola Chaul (Black Rice)ক’লা চাউল

    Whole black rice from Assam's Sali season. Natural anthocyanin pigments in the bran turn it deep purple when cooked.

    Shop Kola Chaul (Black Rice)
  • Aromatic (Joha)

    Joha Riceজহা চাউল

    Small-grained aromatic winter rice of Assam with a sweet aroma — traditional for kheer, pulao and festive meals.

    Shop Joha Rice
  • Everyday rice

    Ranjit Rice (Raw)ৰঞ্জিত আৰৈ চাউল

    A high-yielding Sali variety released by Assam Agricultural University, milled raw for everyday bhat.

    Shop Ranjit Rice (Raw)
  • Everyday rice

    Ranjit Rice (Parboiled)ৰঞ্জিত উখোৱা চাউল

    Ranjit, Assam's dependable Sali staple, parboiled before milling for firm, separate grains.

    Shop Ranjit Rice (Parboiled)
  • Sticky (Bora)

    Bora Chaul (Sticky Rice)বৰা চাউল

    Glutinous rice with under 5% amylose, used for pitha, chira, hurum and sunga chaol.

    Shop Bora Chaul (Sticky Rice)
  • Soft (Chokuwa)

    Chokuwa Chaulচকুৱা চাউল

    Semi-glutinous Sali rice with 10–15% amylose — the grain from which Komal Chaul is made.

    Shop Chokuwa Chaul
  • Soft (Chokuwa)

    Komal Chaul (Soft Rice)কোমল চাউল

    Parboiled, dried Chokuwa rice that softens in 20–30 minutes of warm water — no cooking. Eaten with curd, jaggery or milk.

    Shop Komal Chaul (Soft Rice)