Shri Suryapratap Shahi, visits ICAR-IIRR
Shri Suryapratap Shahi, Uttar Pradesh’s Agriculture Minister, visited ICAR-IIRR with MLA Shri Baldev Singh Aulakh and officials. He stressed enhancing collaboration among ICAR institutes, state agriculture departments, and universities, and advocated for promoting high zinc and biofortified rice varieties to address malnutrition. Impressed by climate-resilient rice developed via genome editing, Shahi requested seed distribution of these varieties.
Shri Suryapratap Shahi, Minister of Agriculture, Agricultural Education and Agricultural Research, Govt of Uttar Pradesh visited ICAR- Indian Institute of Rice Research along with Shri Baldev Singh Aulakh, Member of Legislative Assembly, Bilaspur and several Officials of State, Department of Agriculture and others were also present during the visit
Shri Shahi emphasized about the increased coordination and communication between ICAR institutes like ICAR-IIRR, State Department of Agriculture, KVKs, and State Agriculture Universities of Uttar Pradesh. He urged the Institute to play a central role in the popularization of high zinc and other biofortified rice varieties in certain regions of UP state, where malnutrition in children and women is prevalent. The Minister was highly impressed by the high-yielding, climate-resilient rice, which maintains the quality of Samba Mahsuri grains, developed using the most precise and advanced breeding tool: genome editing. He also proposed that ICAR-IIRR provide seeds of climate-resilient and biofortified rice varieties, alongside the well-known low glycemic index rice variety, Improved Samba Mahsuri.
Dr R. Mahender Kumar, In-Charge Director, ICAR – Indian Institute of Rice Research, briefed about the institute’s mandate, achievements and new initiatives launched.
Source Link : https://icar.org.in/shri-suryapratap-shahi-visits-icar-iirr
