HYDERABAD: Improved Samba Mashuri (ISM) rice with low glycemic index (GI), that results in slow release of glucose into the bloodstream, is being cultivated in 1.3 lakh hectares in TS, AP, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and UP. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Indian Council of Agricultural Research have developed this variety.
CCMB director Dr Rakesh Kumar Mishra and chief scientist Ramesh Sonti said the total value of the produce was estimated at Rs 1m250 crore with a bacterial blight resistant trait value of Rs 250 crore. “ISM in addition to possessing desirable attributes like high yield, fine-grain type, bacterial blight resistance, premium market price etc. also has a unique advantage of low GI, thus enhancing its market potential and profit earned by farmers,” they said. Dr Sonti said that ISM was popular with farmers in areas where bacterial blight was endemic.
