VIJAYAWADA: The State government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on Thursday.
As per the agreement, IRRI will take up the required research, surveys the paddy cultivation area, focus on developing advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and better withstand pests and disease as well as flooding, drought and other harmful effects of climate change and will also extend technical support.
IRRI will map the paddy cultivated area through satellites and will also have access to get weather forecast using the technology.
Speaking to mediapersons at the Interim Government Complex at Velagapudi, Agriculture minister P Pulla Rao said that the technology being used by IRRI will ensure better results in estimating crop loss in case of natural calamities. It will also benefit the affected farmers to get their crop insurance amount properly, the minister observed.
The agreement will stand for a period of three years and the government will pay one dollar for each hectare. Stating that black gram crop was damaged in an extent of over 30,000 hectares due to the `Bud Necrosis Virus’, Pulla Rao assured the farmers that the government will come to their rescue and will also take measures for protecting the standing crops.