Agri Minister Chouhan unveils the first genome-edited rice variety, succumbing to 30 PCs
New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Sunday the first genome-edited rice varieties of Drr Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa dst Rice 1' to address the challenges of climate change to address the challenges of climate change and make ours 30% based on generation. Chouhan added that the new varieties will increase rice yield by 20% to 30%, save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation.
These varieties are recommended for major rice cultivation states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Odisha, Jharkhand, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bihar and West Bengal.
Scientists have developed these varieties by enhancing two widely grown rice types (Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204) and MTU1010 (Cottondora sannalu)) – with improved stress tolerance, yield and climate adaptability while retaining their original advantages.
Both varieties exhibit excellent drought tolerance and high nitrogen efficiency.
The minister said that about 20 days (130 days) Drr Dhan 100 (Kamala) is more mature than their parents and can harvest and crop rotations earlier or have the potential for multiple crop cycles. The DRR DHAN 100 (KAMALA) has a short duration, allowing farmers to save three irrigation.
He said that in 5 million hectares, both varieties of cultivation could produce 4.5 million tons of rice fields.
“If the farm is not developed, India will not be able to achieve the goal of developing the country,” the minister said.
These genome-edited rice varieties represent significant advances in Indian agricultural biotechnology, providing practical solutions to the dual challenges of climate change and food security. They also demonstrate the potential of genome editing for future crop improvement programs.
The Minister of Agriculture stressed that studying scientists is the key to the country's food security and ensures that India becomes “the world's food basket.” “At present, India exports Basmati rice worth Rs 480,000 crore.
However, we need to ensure that we have nutrient-rich foods in the future. This responsibility lies with the shoulders of our farm scientists. ” he said.
Chouhan proposes a new formula: “minus five plus ten” -? The rice area was reduced by 5 million hectares, while increasing the output by 10 million tons. “Rice areas should be transferred to beans and oil seeds to increase yields and reduce imports,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Devesh Choudhary explained that the new rice varieties were developed using advanced technology, each offering a clear advantage of yield, flexibility and quality.
“The genome-edited rice varieties released today have a 20% higher yield. They will be available to agricultural communities through public and private institutions and will soon bring them under the seed chain,” he said.
ICAR Director General Mangi Lal Jat called it “a historic day of Indian agriculture” and emphasized the development of better seed varieties to address the challenges of climate change.
“We need to adopt demand-oriented research, not supply-driven research. This research should take feedback and demand from farmers,” he said.
Genome-edited rice varieties were previously developed in countries such as China and Japan, but many are still in the research environment, with only a few officially released or commercialized.
