Union Cabinet approves establishment of International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi

The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) set up a regional centre International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a global rice research institute.
It will be named as IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) and will be set up at campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Key Facts

For setting up of the Centre, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) will be signed between Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW) and IRRI, Philippines. This Centre will be the first of its kind international Centre in the eastern India.
Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) will be also established in Varanasi. It will include a modern and sophisticated laboratory with capacity to determine quality and status of heavy metals in grain and straw. It will also undertake capacity building exercises for stakeholders across rice value chain.

Benefits from ISARC

The ISARC will help in utilizing the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties. It will help India to achieve higher per hectare yields and improved nutritional contents. Further it will help to address India’s food and nutritional security issues.
It will play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. It is also expected to be a boon for food production and skill development in the eastern India and similar ecologies in other South Asian and African countries.
The Centre will support in adopting value chain based production system in the country. Thus, help to reduce wastage, add value to produce and generate higher income for the farmers. The farmers in Eastern India will be main beneficiaries, besides those in South Asian and African countries.

About International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

It is an international agricultural research and training organization with headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines. It is also the largest non-profit agricultural research centre in Asia.
It was established in 1960 and has offices in 17 countries. It aims to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability of rice farming.
IRRI is known for its work in developing high yeilding rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in the 1960s. It advances its mission through collaborative research, partnerships, and the strengthening of the national agricultural research and extension systems of the countries IRRI works in.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2017