Scientists from the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) distributed seeds of new rice varieties, jointly developed with the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), to around 150 farmers from Bommaipalli village in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district on Thursday.
Chief Scientist Hitendra K. Patel highlighted the key characteristics and potential benefits of the new rice varieties, particularly for populations vulnerable to diabetes, and said the varieties have been developed to address both nutritional and agricultural challenges.
The CSIR-CCMB has about 50 acres of land in Bommaipalli, where it has established its Annex IIIfacility to cultivate and test advanced rice varieties. The facility focuses on developing rice strains that are more resistant to diseases and pests, and can withstand high soil salinity and low-phosphorus conditions.
At a first-of-its-kind scientist-farmer interaction and seed distribution programme held at the facility in the presence of government officials, scientists, and local farmers, Addl Collector A. Bhaskar Rao stressed the importance of promoting climate-resilient, high-yielding, and diabetes-friendly crop varieties. He urged farmers to adopt these improved seeds and benefit from advances in agricultural research.
CCMB Director Vinay K. Nandicoori thanked the district administration for facilitating the transfer of land title and outlined the strategic importance of the Bommaipalli facility in the institute’s future research plans. He said the centre would play a key role in expanding research on sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. Chief Scientist Mohd Idris, District Agriculture Officer Ramana Reddy, RDO Upendar Reddy, and other officials attended the programme, according to a press release.
Published – October 08, 2026 08:57 pm IST
