Agri revolution or regulatory blind spot? Genome-edited rice crops stir debate

On May 4, 2025, India made history. The country introduced the first genome-edited rice to the world. At a grand event in the national capital, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled two new genome-edited rice varieties—DRR Dhan 100 and Pusa DST Rice 1.The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the government’s apex agriculture research organisation, has developed these innovative varieties; these crops could boost rice yields by up to 30% while also improving drought tolerance and decreasing water use.

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