After testing the improved Swarna rice variety, which can withstand floods, in a few pockets last year, the Andhra Pradesh Government and ANGRAU have decided to increase the use of the seed in the next kharif season. The upgraded variety promises to be useful to farmers in the rice-growing coastal areas prone to floods and cyclones every year.

Submergence of paddy fields due to floods and cyclones results in losses to the tune of hundreds of crores. The improved variety can withstand up to 20 days of submergence and save the farmers from losing the crop.