AGRICULTURE Biofortification of crops in India for food and nutritional security

Malnutrition, caused by inadequate intake of balanced food, affects people of all ages including infants, children, adults, women and old-age people. Biofortification is a process of developing nutrient-rich crops through breeding approaches that provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions to alleviate malnutrition. The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) led by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed a series of biofortified crop varieties through breeding methods that have a balanced concentration of nutrients, are high yielding and ideal for meeting the country's food and nutritional security. Here, we discuss available biofortified crop cultivars for cultivation, effects of biofortified crops on human health and various challenges for the popularisation of these nutritionally rich crops cultivars in India.

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