In a new development in the field of agriculture, altogether five new high-yielding varieties of rice, which are highly resistant to new diseases and insect pests, have been released in Imphal today at Green Foundation Imphal during the one-day workshop on Kharif Rice Production.
The five new varieties were developed by Prof. Naorem Iboton Singh, former Dean of CAU, College of Agriculture, through cross-breeding, and the rice varieties are highly tasty, easy to grow, and relevant to the current atmosphere of Manipur. The special features of the varieties released today are that the plant is not taller than 4 feet, needs less fertilizer, and is full-grown or cultivable after 120 days.
Prof. N. Iboton, who attended the workshop as chief guest, informed the farmers who attended the workshop that it is high time to change the unscientific way of farming, a system which demands investment of lots of years with numerous bags of urea that also causes losses of 6–7 tons of crops. The former dean also explained the correct way of modern farming methods.
During the workshop, the CEO of the Green Foundation, U. Himmat, also announced that any farmer willing to plant the new varieties should take the opportunity, and support and technical inputs will also be provided to yield more crops.
