New Delhi [India] : Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday unveiled two new genome-edited rice varieties — DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1 — developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), marking a significant stride toward sustainable and high-yield agriculture in India.
Launched at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium in New Delhi, these varieties are expected to revolutionize rice cultivation by offering higher productivity, better climate adaptability, and reduced water requirements.
Highlighting a six-point strategy to increase farmers’ income, Chouhan stated that the launch aligns with two of these goals: reducing production costs and increasing crop yields. “This is not only beneficial to farmers but also essential to meet the nutritional needs of our growing population,” he said.
The Minister noted that the early maturity of the new rice varieties will help reduce irrigation needs — saving approximately 7500 million cubic meters of water. “Early maturity also enables timely sowing of the next crop and supports multi-cropping systems,” he added.
Chouhan emphasized the urgent need for food security and positioning India as the “food basket of the world.” He proudly shared that India already exports ₹48,000 crore worth of Basmati rice annually.
He also called for increased production of other vital crops such as soybean, arhar, lentils, urad, oilseeds, and pulses, encouraging especially young farmers to adopt modern agricultural technologies.
Developed using CRISPR-Cas genome-editing technology, the new rice varieties use SDN 1 and SDN 2 gene-editing methods, which do not introduce foreign DNA. These have been approved under India’s biosafety regulations for general crops.
Chouhan concluded by urging deeper collaboration between agricultural scientists and farmers, stating, “When both work together, miracles can happen in the field.”