Odisha signs MoU with IRRI for climate resilient paddy

The Odisha government on Saturday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for promotion of new high yielding stress tolerant and climate resilient paddy.

The memorandum was signed between the agriculture department and IRRI in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy and other officials.

The MoU will be in force for five years.

"This would help in inventing high yielding and adverse climatic resistant new varieties of paddy seeds that can be grown amid drought and flood like situation," the Chief Minister Office said in a statement.

Paddy cultivation in Odisha is generally affected by flood, drought and salinity resulting in low productivity.

With frequent natural calamities causing huge loss in the agriculture sector, the government hopes the institute would come up with new technology to produce more stress tolerant paddy that would be helpful for farmers.

An agriculture official said Odisha would receive accelerated diffusion of modern stress tolerant rice varieties and other technologies.

Besides, more efficient and cost effective nutrient management technologies would be available to the farmers.

The collaboration between the state government and IRRI would explore science-based crop insurance system at a reasonable cost, the statement added.