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India Today
08-07-2025
- Health
- India Today
Does rice really cause diabetes? An expert breaks the myth
There is a widespread belief that eating rice increases your risk of belief has grown stronger over time, especially in India, where rice is a daily staple for millions. But is this concern backed by science? To answer that, we spoke to Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, a senior agricultural scientist and former Director and Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. With more than three decades of rice research and as someone living with diabetes himself, Dr Singh offers rare insights based on science and lived experience. advertisementUNDERSTANDING THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI)Dr Singh starts by explaining how different foods affect blood sugar through the Glycemic Index.'When we eat food, the sugar level in our blood increases. To measure this, scientists created the Glycemic Index, or GI. It divides foods into high, medium, and low GI categories based on how quickly they raise blood sugar.'High-GI foods cause blood sugar to rise foods raise blood sugar levels more slowly, keeping them more stable.'If the GI is above 55%, it is considered high GI, which can be between 55% and 80%. Some types of rice have GI below 55%, and others above it.'Not all rice behaves the same way in the human body. The type of rice you eat plays a big role.'The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has even developed types of rice with an ultra-low GI of under 45%.'These special varieties digest slowly and are more suitable for individuals with diabetes or those trying to manage their blood sugar YOU EAT RICE MAKES A DIFFERENCEThe impact of rice on blood sugar depends not only on the type, but also on how it is cooked and eaten.'If you eat rice with dal (lentils) in equal proportions, the GI value reduces.'This is because dal adds protein and fiber, both of which help slow down digestion.'This is very important for those who love rice to remember – adding a good amount of dal helps control blood sugar.'He also recommends brown rice as a healthier retains more fiber and nutrients compared to polished white rice.'Brown rice also has a low GI because it takes longer to get digested. The sugar releases into the system slowly, so the blood sugar level does not instantly go up.'Parboiled rice, also known as usna or sella rice, is another good option.'Parboiled rice also has low GI. And there is no harm in eating that.'REAL NUMBERS FROM RICE-EATING STATES Dr Singh refers to research published in The Lancet, a global journal of health research, to back up his claims with data.'It clearly shows that Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, all majorly have rice as a part of their food in all three meals. But the diabetes percentage in these states is less than 10%.'This challenges the idea that rice alone causes when you look at North Indian states like Punjab and Haryana, they majorly consume wheat or chapati and don't eat rice as much. Many people only make rice once a week or so. But the diabetes percentage in Punjab and Haryana is 12.4% and 12.7% respectively.'The numbers speak for themselves. If rice was the main cause, people who eat it more frequently should have higher diabetes rates.'So if rice was to blame, then the percentage in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha should have been higher.'GENES AND LIFESTYLE PLAY A BIGGER ROLEDr Singh emphasises that genetics and lifestyle are far more important when it comes to diabetes.'Diabetes is a genetic disease, and we carry these genes from our parents and pass them on to our children.'Having a family history of diabetes increases your risk, but it doesn't mean you are guaranteed to get it.'If we have that genetic sensitivity and we don't take care of our lifestyle, don't exercise, follow a sedentary lifestyle, then we will have high chances of getting diabetes.'However, living a healthy life can help lower those chances.'But if we maintain a proper lifestyle despite having the genetic sensitivity, then the chances are lesser.'Dr Singh sums it up simply.'To solely blame rice for this would not be right.'Avoiding rice completely is unnecessary. Choosing healthier rice varieties, eating balanced meals, and staying physically active can help prevent diabetes without giving up the food you love.- EndsMust Watch
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
CISH, Israel institute to collab for superior mango cultivation
Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) in Lucknow is set to collaborate with Israel for advanced research in mango improvement, its officials said. The announcement came during an interactive session on mango improvement hosted at CISH's Rehmankhera campus on June 17, where leading agri-scientists from India and abroad gathered to explore the future of mango breeding. CISH is a unit of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR). The event witnessed a high-powered exchange between Indian researchers and senior scientists Yuval Cohen and Amir Sherman from Israel's prestigious Volcani Institute. The initiative is spearheaded by T. Damodaran, the CISH director. Researchers from ICAR-CISH (Lucknow), ICAR-IARI (New Delhi), ICAR-IIHR (Bangalore), and Jain Irrigation Systems (Jalgaon) participated in discussions centred on growing superior mango varieties that can withstand climate extremes, deliver higher yields, resist pests and diseases, and meet global quality standards. 'India and Israel both have rich mango-growing traditions, but together we can take the fruit's cultivation to the next level,' Damodaran said. The focus is on leveraging genomics tools and marker-assisted selection to accelerate the breeding process, a significant shift from traditional, time-consuming methods. Israel's experience in high-tech horticulture, especially its rootstock 13-1 known for salinity tolerance, could prove critical in boosting mango production on challenging Indian soils. For the unversed, the 13-1 rootstock is a variety of mango rootstock that is widely used in commercial orchards, particularly in areas with calcareous soils and saline irrigation water. It is known for its tolerance to these soil and water conditions, as well as its suitability for high-density planting systems. The 13-1 rootstock was developed in Israel and is commonly used in commercial mango orchards there. Officials noted that the Indo-Israeli partnership will facilitate the exchange of genetic resources, innovative techniques, and technological know-how, aiming to position India at the forefront of global mango innovation.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Explained: The cost of rising imports
Rao Gulab Singh Lodi has harvested roughly 90 quintals of summer moong (green gram) from his 16-acres land in Nanhegaon village of Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district. His major worry: The government's apathy in procuring the pulses crop that's fetching Rs 6,000 or so per quintal in the open market, as against its official minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 8,682. It's not only moong. Lodhi cultivates soyabean during the kharif (monsoon) season, sowing the leguminous oilseed in early-July and harvesting by mid-October, followed by chana (chickpea) and masoor (red lentil) during rabi (winter-spring). After harvesting masoor towards March 10 and chana around March 15-20, he sows summer moong that matures in 60-70 days. In none of these crops is there any systematic government procurement at MSP, comparable to that in rice and wheat. 'It is my misfortune that I cannot grow rice or even wheat (except for self-consumption) here. The black cotton soil in my area is basically suitable for pulses and oilseeds,' says Lodhi. The 65-year-old is a progressive farmer. He plants the best recommended varieties, whether in soyabean ('JS 20-116' and 'JS 2172' bred by the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya at Jabalpur), moong ('PDM 139' by the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur), masoor ('IPL 329' by the same institute) or chana ('Pusa Manav' by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi). But Lodhi isn't as lucky as the farmers who take rice and wheat. Soyabean is selling in MP's mandis at Rs 4,100-4,200 per quintal. That's below not only the MSP of Rs 5,328 for the upcoming 2025-26, but even the Rs 4,892 of last year's crop. The low prices notwithstanding, Lodhi is going ahead with planting soyabean: 'Vikalp kya hai (what option do I have)?'. The woes for Indian pulses and oilseeds growers come amid all-time-high imports during 2024-25 (April-March). In the case of pulses, these touched 7.3 million tonnes (mt) and valued at $5.5 billion, surpassing the previous record of 6.6 mt and $4.2 billion for 2016-17. Pulses imports had actually registered a substantial dip after 2017-18, to an average of 2.6 mt worth $1.7 billion during the subsequent five years (Charts 1a and 1b). This came on the back of improved domestic production. India's pulses output, which stood at 19.3 mt in 2013-14 and 17.2 mt in 2014-15 and 16.3 mt in 2015-16 (both drought years), climbed to 27.3 mt in 2021-22 and 26.1 mt in 2022-23. Much of that was courtesy of chana and moong, with scientists breeding short-duration varieties (100-120 days) requiring hardly any irrigation in the former and those amenable to growing across all seasons in the latter. Farmers today plant moong in kharif and rabi as well as spring and summer. However, the relative self-sufficiency or atmanirbharta achieved in pulses was reversed in 2023-24, which was an El Niño-induced drought year. Domestic production dropped to 24.2 mt in 2023-24 and recovered partly to 25.2 mt in 2024-25, as per the Agriculture Ministry's data. Falling output and retail inflation in pulses soaring to double digits by mid-2023 led to a slashing of duties on imports, which peaked during the last fiscal. The 7.3 mt of pulses imports in 2024-25 included 2.2 mt of yellow/white peas (largely from Canada and Russia), 1.6 mt of chana (from Australia), 1.2 mt each of arhar or pigeon-pea (from Mozambique, Tanzania, Myanmar, Sudan and Malawi) and masoor (from Canada, Australia and United States), and 0.8 mt of urad or black gram (from Myanmar and Brazil). As imports surged, the consumer price index (CPI) inflation in pulses eased to 3.8% year-on-year by December 2024 and further to 2.6%, -0.4%, -2.7%, -5.2% and -8.2% in the following five months. The shoe is on the other foot now, with arhar and chana selling at Rs 6,400-6,450 and Rs 5,450-5,500 per quintal respectively in Maharashtra's Latur mandi, below their corresponding MSPs of Rs 7,550 and Rs 5,650. In vegetable oils, the story has been a more uniform one – of increasing import dependence. The last 11 years have seen imports more than double from 7.9 mt to 16.4 mt, a trend that the Narendra Modi government may want to arrest, if not reverse. In value terms, imports almost trebled from $7.2 billion in 2013-14 to $20.8 billion in 2022-23, which was around the time when international prices skyrocketed owing to supply disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine war. While global prices have come off those peaks, the quantum of imports has continued to rise (Charts 2a and 2b). The 16.4 mt of imports during 2024-25 mainly comprised 7.9 mt of palm (primarily from Indonesia and Malaysia), 4.8 mt of soyabean (from Argentina and Brazil) and 3.5 mt of sunflower oil (from Russia, Ukraine and Argentina). On the other hand, India's production of oil from domestically grown oilseeds and secondary sources such as cottonseed, rice bran and maize is estimated at just about 10 mt, translating into an import dependence of well over 60%. CPI inflation in vegetable oils, unlike pulses, has been ruling at double digits since November 2024, with the latest May reading at 17.9%. It explains the Modi government's decision, on May 30, to cut the basic customs duty on crude palm, soyabean and sunflower oil from 20% to 10% and the overall import tariff (after adding an agriculture cess and social welfare surcharge) from 27.5% to 16.5%. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects the lowering of duty to result in a 'further increase' in soyabean oil imports by India. Although its market is dominated by Argentina, 'the reduced tariff can boost the import of US soyabean oil,' a USDA report, dated June 10, has stated. All this would mean imports likely hitting a new high in the current fiscal, even as the USDA has projected a record-breaking global vegetable oil output of 235 mt for 2025-26, led by palm (80.7 mt) and soyabean (70.8 mt). And that may not be good news for farmers like Lodhi. The Soyabean Processors Association of India has expressed concern over the 11-percentage points duty cut, which is expected to 'flood the Indian market with cheaper imported oils'. That will make oilseed cultivation less attractive to farmers, who may sow less area and switch to other more profitable crops in this kharif season, said Davish Jain, chairman of the Indore-based association. Harish Damodaran is National Rural Affairs & Agriculture Editor of The Indian Express. A journalist with over 33 years of experience in agri-business and macroeconomic policy reporting and analysis, he has previously worked with the Press Trust of India (1991-94) and The Hindu Business Line (1994-2014). ... Read More
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Business Standard
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan: Chouhan will meet Delhi farmers tomorrow
The campaign, which began on May 29 in Odisha, will conclude on June 12. So far, Chouhan has interacted with farmers from 11 states Press Trust of India New Delhi Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will meet farmers from Delhi on Wednesday, as part of the 15-day nationwide Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan. The minister will visit Tigipur, Bakhtawarpur, and North Delhi in the afternoon to engage with farmers, and the interaction will take place through Kisan Chaupal, an official statement said. The representatives of Ujwa Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, will participate in the event. The campaign, which began on May 29 in Odisha, will conclude on June 12. So far, Chouhan has interacted with farmers from 11 states. The objective of the outreach programme is to provide farmers with accurate information on the latest agricultural technologies, research, and government schemes, as well as address the concerns of the farming community. With the goal of increasing Kharif crop production, 16,000 scientists spread out in 2,170 teams are visiting villages to engage in a two-way communication process with farmers. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scroll.in
09-06-2025
- Science
- Scroll.in
India has developed two genome-edited rice varieties – but some experts are concerned
In a significant stride towards bolstering food security amid escalating climate challenges, researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Rice Research, both operating under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, have developed two innovative genome-edited rice varieties, named DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1. These varieties aim to enhance yield and resilience against environmental stresses. Developed by Indian Institute of Rice Research in Hyderabad, DRR Dhan 100 or Kamala is based on the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT-5204) and exhibits high yield potential along with improved drought and salinity resistance. Pusa DST Rice 1 is developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi from Cotton Dora Sannalu (MTU 1010) and is engineered for enhanced DST or drought and salt tolerance. Both varieties were developed using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technique, which allows for precise modifications in the plant's DNA without introducing foreign genes. This, according to the scientists, is a very different method from genetic modification of the plant. Genome editing accelerates the breeding process and enables the development of crops with desired traits more efficiently. Genome editing vs genetic modification While both genome editing and genetic modification involve altering an organism's genetic material, they differ fundamentally in approach and outcome. Genome editing uses specific tools to make targeted changes to the organism's own DNA without introducing genes from other species. In contrast, genetic modification typically involves inserting foreign genes into an organism's genome, often resulting in transgenic organisms. Viswanathan C, joint director (research) at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, explains, 'In genome editing, mutations are induced at specific sites where change is needed. These are internal and guided changes – a modern, targeted way to induce genetic mutations that also occur in nature, but with precision for specific outcomes.' Genetic modification, on the other hand, can result in unintended genetic changes and has been subject to stricter regulatory scrutiny. Scientists have used Site-Directed Nuclease 1 and Site-Directed Nuclease 2 (SDN-1 and SDN-2) genome editing techniques to develop the seeds. Vishwanathan highlights that genome editing in rice is being pursued to address agricultural challenges such as low yields, drought, and soil salinity, which are increasingly prevalent due to climate change. For instance, Pusa DST Rice 1 and DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) were developed to tolerate harsh conditions such as drought and saline soils, which are common in many Indian farming regions. Kamala, derived from the popular Samba Mahsuri rice, also has improved grain numbers and reduced environmental impact, according to the scientists. Biosafety concerns The release of these genome-edited rice varieties has garnered attention from various stakeholders in the agricultural sector. While many experts view this development as a positive step towards sustainable agriculture, some have raised concerns about the long-term implications and regulatory oversight of genome editing technologies. The Coalition for GM-free India, in a press conference held in Bengaluru, put forward the concerns around the safety of genome editing of crops such as rice. They alleged that both SDN-1 and SDN-2 techniques used for the rice varieties are illegal and unsafe. Kavitha Kuruganti, a member of the coalition says, 'Published studies such as Sukumar Biswas et al. in their paper say that SDN-1 technology, using CRISPR/Cas9 system is not precise in rice. Early and accurate molecular characterisation and screening must be carried out for many generations before the edited rice varieties are handed over to the farmers.' In a rebuttal, Indian Council of Agricultural Research scientists responded to these allegations saying that genome editing techniques, (SDN-1/SDN-2) are comparable to natural or chemical-induced mutations used safely for more than 75 years. They explain that these techniques require specific tests to confirm absence of foreign DNA. 'More than 30 agriculture-based countries have exempted SDN1 and SDN2 genome editing from stringent biosafety regulations. India too joined the progressive nations and notified the exemption of SDN1 and SDN2 genome edited plants in 2022,' the rebuttal sourced by Mongabay India says. While Kurnganti questions the need for a better yielding paddy, considering India is one of the largest rice producers in the world, second only to China, and the country could do better with better distribution of paddy produced, Vishwanathan says that rice plays a central role in the country's food security and cannot be overlooked. He adds that similar research is ongoing in millets and other crops as well.
