India creates history with first-ever genome-edited climate-smart rice

India has made a groundbreaking achievement by becoming the first country in the world to develop Genome-Edited (GE) climate-smart varieties without using foreign DNA. These two rice varieties namely, DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1 were developed by scientists at Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi and the Indian Rice Research Institute, Hyderabad. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched these varieties which provide 25% higher yield, require less water and are more resilient to climate stress.

Also read: Union Budget 2025: Government unveils ‘PM Dhan Dhyan Krishi Yojana’ to boost agriculture

These are not Genetically Modified (GM) crops and hence avoid the controversy surrounding GM foods. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tool, scientists improved popular rice varieties like Samba Mahsuri and MTU1010 by enhancing climate resistance and productivity without changing grain quality.

Chouhan highlighted this as a dual success, boosting production while preserving the environment, by saving water and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. The ICAR noted that cultivating these in 5 million hectares can yield an additional 4.5 million tons of rice and save 7500 million cubic meters of water.

Experts called it a golden day for Indian agriculture and a global benchmark in precision breeding. The government has also allocated Rs 500 crore to expand genome editing in other crops.