Recently, a ‘rice field laboratory‘ has been unveiled by Prime Minister in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) located in Los Banos, Philippines.
What is International Rice Research Institute?
- International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization working in the field of rice varieties, which contributed immensely to the ‘Green Revolution’.
- There is also a gene bank of Chavan, along with more than 1.2 million rice varieties which have been collected from 100 countries.
- Founded in 1960, this center is the oldest research center in rice research case and a large number of Indian scientists also work there.
- It is one of the 15 international agricultural research centers in the world established under the International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on Agricultural Research.
Purpose of IRRI
- The main objective of the International Rice Research Institute is to reduce hunger and poverty through rice research.
- At the same time, it also acts to take care of the interests of farmers and consumers who cultivate rice.
- It is also an important objective to ensure environmental sustainability in the context of rice cultivation.
India and IRRI
- It is worth noting that the International Rice Research Institute and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) are working together in collaboration with each other so that the use of varieties of rice, drought, flood and salt tolerant rice in India will be ensured.
- At the initiative of the Central Government, the International Rice Research Institute is going to open a regional center in Varanasi. This regional center will open in the premises of ‘National Seed Research and Training Center’ located in Varanasi.
- The Varanasi center will prove to be helpful in increasing the productivity of rice, reducing the cost of production and increasing the skills of the farmers by increasing their income.
SOURCE- THE HINDU