Odisha-based NRRI develops 9 new varieties of paddy

Bhubaneswar: The ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) in Odisha’s Cuttack city has developed nine new varieties of paddy for different ecologies this year.

The central committee of the ICAR has given its nod for cultivation of these new paddy varieties in different states including Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, said NRRI Director Amaresh Kumar Nayak today.

“The central committee will soon issue a gazette notification in this regard. This is the first case when the central panel has given its nod for release of nine new paddy varieties developed by the NRRI, Cuttack,” Nayak added.

The new varieties of paddy developed by the NRRI are CR 807, CR 804, CR 808, CR 211, CR 212, CR 214, CR 322, CR 329 and CR 331. These varieties are suitable for different ecologies across the country, he added.

Some of these varieties are herbicide tolerant and they require comparatively less water for cultivation. Farmers can directly broadcast seeds of these paddy varieties after tilling their land. They can reduce the cost of production by 40 to 50 per cent by cultivating these types of paddy, Nayak revealed.

A few of these newly-developed paddy varieties have resilience towards climate change. They can withstand adverse conditions like drought and flood. The NRRI has developed three new paddy varieties which will be very much beneficial for farmers having adequate irrigation facility, he added.

“The consumers in urban areas usually prefer long and slender variety of rice. We have developed a paddy variety to cater to the requirement of these consumers,” said the NRRI Director.