The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) has launched its third campus at Bommaipalli village in Telangana’s Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, creating a new research facility focused on agriculture and the development of improved rice varieties.
The 50-acre campus is currently using part of its land to cultivate advanced “Super Rice” varieties developed jointly by CSIR-CCMB and the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR). The varieties include strains described as resistant to infections, parasites, high salinity and low soil phosphorus.
According to the institute, the research programme also covers high-yielding and diabetic-friendly rice varieties. The seed development work is intended to connect laboratory research with farming conditions, with the campus hosting a seed distribution programme alongside its opening.
More than 150 farmers received newly developed rice seeds during the event, which also brought together district officials, local representatives, more than 100 CCMB scientists and administrators. The programme included discussions on practical farming challenges, placing farmers and researchers in direct contact at the new facility.
The Bommaipalli campus is the latest addition to CSIR-CCMB’s network of research facilities. The institute’s main campus is located at Tarnaka in Hyderabad. Its wildlife conservation facility, LaCONES, is near Attapur, while its Medical Biotechnology Complex is at Uppal. The Bommaipalli facility is identified as Annexe-III and will focus on agricultural research.
The new campus expands CSIR-CCMB’s physical presence beyond its Hyderabad facilities and places its agriculture-focused research closer to farming communities in the district. The launch event also brought together the research institution and the district administration, including Additional Collector A. Bhaskar Rao, District Agriculture Officer Ramana Reddy and RDO Upendar Reddy.
CSIR-CCMB Director Dr. Vinay K. Nandicoori said the Bommaipalli facility would drive future institutional expansion and support local socio-economic growth. Chief Scientists Dr. Hitendra K. Patel and Dr. Mohammed Idris were among the senior scientists present at the event.
The institute has not specified in the supplied announcement the full construction cost, the final built-up area, the number of laboratories planned or a timetable for completing the campus. The immediate programme announced by CSIR-CCMB is the cultivation of the rice varieties and distribution of seeds to local farmers.
