Los Banos: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the international rice research centre in the Philippines which he said is working towards mitigating global poverty and hunger by improving the cultivation of the key grain. The Prime Minister visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, an urban locality situated at a distance of around 65 kms from Manila — the capital of the Philippines — and interacted with a large number of Indian scientists working there.
A number of scientists at the IRRI briefed the Prime Minister on flood-tolerant rice varieties which they said can withstand 14-18 days of submergence and can provide 1-3 tonnes more yield per hectare in flood affected areas. A ‘rice field laboratory’ named after the Prime Minister was also inaugurated by him at the institute. He unveiled a plaque marking the inauguration of the Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory.
“A contribution from India to IRRI...presented two Indian rice seed varieties to the IRRI gene bank,” the Prime Minister tweeted. The Prime Minister also undertook a symbolic groundbreaking for a new plot for submergence tolerant rice varieties. Mr Modi said he saw a detailed exhibition on rice varieties and the impressive work done by IRRI with women farming cooperatives.
