BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated 109 biofortified, high-yielding, and climate-resilient crop varieties to the nation. This includes three rice varieties developed by ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack.
Modi praised the scientists for developing varieties that would bring resilience to rice farming in the event of extreme climate change.These rice varieties are CR Dhan 108, CR Dhan 810, and CR Dhan 416.
Official sources said CR Dhan 108, a drought-tolerant rice variety for Odisha and Bihar, will be very useful for the upland conditions of these states. The average productivity of these varieties is 32 quintals per hectare. The crop can be ready in about 112 days, which best fits the drought-prone upland areas of the eastern region. It will boost the income of the farmers to a great extent, said the official sources.
CR Dhan 810 (Gayatri Sub-1) is a submergence-tolerant rice variety recommended for flood-prone lowland areas of Odisha, West Bengal, and Assam. The average productivity of this variety is 42 quintals per hectare where flash floods occur frequently. The maturity duration of this variety is about 150 days.
CR Dhan 416 is suitable for soil affected by saline water in West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, with an average productivity of 43 quintals per hectare. This maturity duration is about 125 days, which best fits the medium land situations where crop loss occurs due to salinity, said the official sources.