UP engages global R&D major to develop drought- and flood-resistant rice

Philippines-based Int'l Rice Research Institute to develop the new strains for the state, will also fortify traditional varieties with aroma and nutrients

The Uttar Pradesh government has roped in International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to develop drought and flood resistant rice varieties to insulate the state farmers’ income from these natural calamities.

The Philippines-based IRRI, which has a campus in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, has also tasked with fortifying the state’s traditional paddy varieties with aroma and nutrients.

In December 2018, Modi had inaugurated the IRRI’s South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) campus in Varanasi, which is touted as a hub for paddy research and training in South Asia.

“I recently held a meeting with a team of senior IRRI officials in