The genome-edited rice variety DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) gives 20-25 per cent higher grain yield while Pusa Rice DST 1 has shown strong tolerance to coastal and inland salinity
| Photo Credit:
BAZ RATNER
The government has said that genome-edited rice varieties will prove to be a game changer in sustainable agriculture.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Bhagirath Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said the genome-edited rice variety DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) gives 20-25 per cent higher grain yield, and matures 20-25 days earlier than Samba Mahsuri. It performs well even under 50 per cent of recommended dose of fertilizers.
Another genome-edited variety Pusa Rice DST 1 has shown strong tolerance to coastal and inland salinity. “Both these varieties help saving water and fertilizers and are suitable in stressed ecologies which will prove game changer in sustainable agriculture,” he said.
The new varieties are climate resilient. Because of earliness, DRR Dhan saves one-two irrigation and has shown moderate tolerance against drought. Pusa DST Rice 1 has shown strong tolerance (10-30 per cent yield advantage over parent variety) under inland salinity, alkalinity and coastal salinity areas, he said.
Both these varieties have been identified for Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, he said.
Replying to a separate question, Choudhary said the key issues raised by farmers during the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan were quality, timely availability and access of different agricultural inputs like seeds, including those of climate resilient varieties, fertilizers and pesticides.
Mango production
To a question on mango production in the country, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said India is the largest producer of mango in the world with production of 228.37 lakh tonnes (second estimate 2024-25). This is around 40-45 per cent of world mango production, he said.
The government is focusing on scientific cultivation and research of mango, marketing and export and value addition. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has dedicated organisations for research and development related to mango, which have developed various varieties for commercial cultivation in India. Currently, ICAR is also running 23 All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) Centres in mango.
Along with ICAR, State agricultural universities are also engaged in research work related to production, post-harvest management and value addition in mango, he said.
Cotton imports
Meanwhile, the government has said that domestic consumption is driving higher imports of cotton to India.
Replying to a query, Ramnath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, who cited the data provided by the Cotton Corporation of India, said production of cotton was 386 lakh bales during the cotton season 2014-15, and consumption was 309.44 lakh bales, import 14.39 lakh bales and export 57.72 lakh bales. In the cotton season 2024-25, production is estimated to be 294.25 lakh bales, and consumption at 318 lakh bales, import 25 lakh bales and export 18 lakh bales.
This indicates that domestic consumption has exceeded production in the cotton season 2024-25, which is one of the factors driving higher imports and resulting in a lower export from India, he said.
Published on August 19, 2025