Kolkata: State Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has directed his research unit to take measures for augmenting the production of low glycemic rice in Bengal which can be a part of the diet for persons suffering from blood sugar.
“The number of blood sugar patients across India is increasing and Bengal is no exception. Our scientists and researchers have already seen success with the variety of low glycemic rice at Chinsurah, Hooghly. We should lay emphasis on producing more of such variety so blood sugar patients who cannot eat normal rice due to reasonably high sugar content can consume glycemic rice,” Chattopadhyay said following a review meeting of his department.
Sources said the minister has asked his research team to devise means for augmenting production of seeds for various crops so that dependency on other states for procurement can be cut down. “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants the state to be self-sufficient in seed production, including potato. We are hopeful that with more pro-activeness on the part of our scientists and researchers we can fulfil her dream in this regard,” said a department official.
Chattopadhyay is learnt to have asked officials to be more alert about implementation of the different schemes aimed at farmers’ welfare. He advised for error free documentation of beneficiary list and ensuring that not a single genuine beneficiary is left out. He enquired whether the officers are facing any problem in execution of work and advised how to overcome such problems.