Mamata praises four new varieties of paddy raised by state govt
The Statesman | 21 January 2026
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed satisfaction over the introduction of four new varieties of paddy by the state agriculture department.
She wrote in her X handle: “Happy to announce that our agriculture department has invented four varieties of rice that are suited to the weather. The drought prevention centre in Purulia and the centre carrying out various experiments of rice in Chuchura have discovered these new varieties. I congratulate the scientists and others involved with this work.”
Of the four new varieties, three are meant for the drought prone areas of Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura. They are called Subhasini, Lachmanti and Musafir. These varieties can yield 52 to 55 per quintal per hectare during the Kharif season.
For the flood prone areas of south Bengal a new variety called Irabati has been introduced. This new variety does not get spoiled during long hours of waterlogging.
Taking these four varieties from 2011 till date the state government has introduced 15 new varieties of paddy for the benefit of the farmers.
After coming to power in 2011, the state government has been paying the premium of crop insurance. The income of the farmers has trebled. The state government buys paddy from the farmers to avoid the oppression by middlemen. Rice and vegetables are being sold through Sufal Bangla stores.