India has developed the world’s first genome-edited rice varieties. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the development of the DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1 at a function in New Delhi.
The new varieties are expected to boost India’s rice production by 25-30 % and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Flooded paddy fields are a major source of methane and nitrous oxide.
India has joined select countries in the world to develop gene-edited, non-genetically modified crops.
Both rice varieties have been developed by the research units of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), a premier government-owned agricultural institution.
The newly developed rice varieties will be cultivated in the major rice-growing states: West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Telangana.
According to the Union Agriculture Minister, the new varieties will be commercially available in four to five years.
The newly developed rice varieties will help India achieve several objectives.
Increase in rice production and food security
Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
Availability of Land
Conservation of water and fertilisers
In Gene editing, no new foreign DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is inserted into the living organism (crop). The gene editing technology enables scientists to make targeted changes in the native genes of living organisms, creating new and desirable traits.
In genetically modified (GM) crops, scientists insert foreign DNA into the living organism to create new desirable traits in the living organism.
In India, GM crops need permission from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change before being commercially introduced.
GM crops are very controversial, with many environmental groups and scientists opposing them.
The government is promoting gene editing technology in India to boost crop productivity and meet the ever-increasing needs of a growing population.
In 2002, the government exempted certain gene-edited crops from the biosafety regulations applicable to genetically modified crops.
Around 40 crops, including wheat, banana, tomato, tur, and cotton, are in various stages of development in India.
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