Sathyanarayana Beleri, a Rice farmer from Kasaragod, has received Padma Shri recently for preserving 650 traditional rice varieties, successfully introducing 'Rajakayame' rice boosting production and conservation across 3 states Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Moreover, he has been innovating the technique 'Polybag Method' - for the last 15 years and conserving not only indigenous rice varieties but also traditional seeds of arecanut nutmeg and black pepper. He has been growing different varieties of rice from Japan and Philippines to name a few. Previously, he also received an award from the Union Ministry of Agriculture in 2021.