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Siddharthnagar. Dr. Sarvjit, agricultural scientist of Agricultural Science Center, Sohna, has appealed to the farmers to adopt cultivation of biofortified paddy varieties. He said that if farmers cultivate biofortified paddy, it will not only yield good yield but will also improve human health and help in reducing serious problems like malnutrition.

Dr. Sarvjeet said that biofortified rice is a good source of essential minerals like iron and zinc. Consuming grains rich in these nutrients removes nutritional deficiency in the body, prevents diseases like anemia and also increases immunity. He said that malnutrition is a major challenge at present, which can be controlled to a great extent through biofortified crops.

He informed that continuous work is being done on the development of biofortified varieties by various institutes and agricultural universities of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Major biofortified varieties of paddy include CR Paddy 310, 311 and 315. These species are ready in 125 to 130 days and their yield is 45 to 50 quintals per hectare.

Apart from this, DRR paddy 45, 48 and 49 are also important biofortified varieties, which mature in 130 to 135 days and give a yield of 48 to 52 quintals per hectare. The amount of zinc in these species is found to be 22 to 25 ppm, whereas the amount of zinc in normal paddy varieties is only 12 to 16 ppm. He told that in the variety called Ginkgo Rice MS, the amount of zinc is found up to 27.4 ppm,

Which is very beneficial for human health. Zinc is an important micronutrient, which is essential for body growth, immunity and overall health. Dr. Sarvjit appealed to the farmers to give priority to the cultivation of biofortified varieties along with traditional paddy varieties, so that along with farming being profitable, the society can also become healthy and nourished.