Dear Swakshar You are absolutely right in your question. In fact it was Assam that started the Neolithic Rice revolution 6000 BC. Rice was domesticated here by the Austrics. It is from Assam that Rice cultivation went to India. That is one reason why rice is the staple food in the eastern and south India while wheat (Roti) which came from the middle east is the stapel food in North and West India.
We at Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters are also asking the same question, what went wrong in Assam. I am sure that people have probably written about it. But I am yet to see any good explanation. In my view the North East is going through a dark age so far as information is concerned. I am personally still exploring the issue. BTW I have recently written an article titled,*"The Neolithic Rice Revolution of North East India" *. If you (or anybody) are interested, I would be happy to send you a copy. I would request you to pursue the question seriously and find some good answers. I would direct you to such institutions as *Assam Agriculture University* and others.(www.*aau.ac.in). *Please keep us posted of your exploration. Best Wishes. Rajen Barua Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters Houston, Texas On Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 1:12 AM, swakshar chakravarty <swaks...@hotmail.com>wrote: > > > Dear All, > > I always wonders as to why assam with having arguable the most natural > stretch of fertile land doesn't figure in as the top agricultural states. > > Presently based out of chennai and having been exposed to some of the > developments in this field, I am looking it exploring the same in Assam. > > However, i need help from all of you, > > Can you pl direct me to concerned agencies / people who are involved in > this field.. the effot is truly appreciated. > > Cheers Swakshar > > PS: I am banker by Profession !! > >