Sri Vijaya Puram, Jan 6: In a landmark achievement for island agriculture, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India, dedicated 148 newly developed crop varieties to the nation on January 4, 2026, in New Delhi. Among these, seven crop varieties developed specifically for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands by scientists of the ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI) were formally released, marking a major milestone in strengthening food, nutritional, and livelihood security in the islands.
The seven varieties include four rice varieties—Dweep Dhan 7, Dweep Dhan 8, Dweep Dhan 9, and Dweep Dhan 10; two green gram varieties—Dweep Mung 1 and Dweep Mung 4; and one black gram variety—Dweep Urd 1. These varieties have been developed to suit the unique agro-climatic conditions of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Among the rice varieties, Dweep Dhan 8 and Dweep Dhan 9 are biofortified, enriched with high levels of zinc, iron, and protein, thereby contributing significantly to nutritional security. Dweep Dhan 7 and Dweep Dhan 10 are high-yielding varieties and exhibiting resistance to bacterial leaf blight disease, making it highly suitable for sustainable and low-input rice cultivation under island conditions.
The pulse varieties Dweep Mung 1, Dweep Mung 4, and Dweep Urd 1 offer improved yield potential, wider adaptability, and production stability, supporting crop diversification and enhanced income for island farmers.
These varieties were developed through the collective efforts of Plant Breeders-Dr. P. K. Singh, Principal Scientist; Dr. R. K. Gautam, Principal Scientist and Dr. A. K. Singh, Principal Scientist, with significant support in disease resistance screening and management provided by Pathologists-Dr. Krishna Kumar, Principal Scientist and Dr K. Sakthivel, Senior Scientist. The sustained research and varietal development programmes were carried out under the leadership of Dr. Jai Sunder, Director, ICAR-CIARI, Sri Vijaya Puram, whose guidance has strengthened climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive agriculture in the fragile island ecosystem.
Seeds of all the newly released varieties are available for sale to farmers at ICAR-CIARI, Sri Vijaya Puram and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The ICAR-CIARI team gratefully acknowledges the valuable support and cooperation of the Smt. Pallavi Sarkar, IAS, Secretary Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services (AH&VS) for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands Administration, for facilitating the timely release and notification of these crop varieties for the islands.
The scientists also place on record their sincere gratitude to Dr. Eaknath B. Chakurkar, former Director, ICAR-CIARI, for his visionary leadership and encouragement during the earlier stages of varietal development, which laid a strong foundation for this achievement.
This accomplishment stands as a proud and historic moment for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and its farming community, reinforcing the joint commitment of ICAR scientists and the Administration toward seed self-reliance, sustainable agriculture, and improved livelihoods for island farmers.