Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.

The Prime Minister visited the IRRI in Los Banos, 65 km from capital Manila, and interacted with a large number of Indian scientists working at the institute.

Several scientists 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.

He also inaugurated a ‘rice field laboratory’ named after him at the institute. “A contribution from India to IRRI... presented two Indian rice seed varieties to the IRRI gene bank,” the PM tweeted.

Modi also participated in a symbolic ground-breaking of a new plot for submergence-tolerant rice varieties. He said he saw an exhibition on rice varieties and the impressive work done by IRRI with women farming co-operatives.

India is also setting up a regional centre of the IRRI in Varanasi, the Prime Minister’s constituency, to develop high-yielding rice varieties.

The IRRI, which has offices in 17 countries, is known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution of the 1960s.

Raveesh Kumar, a spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry, said the IRRI has successfully collaborated with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research to introduce drought-tolerant, flood-tolerant and salt-tolerant varieties of rice in India.

Kumar said the IRRI and its partners have provided assistance to 2,00,000 women farmers in Odisha which included providing capacity building programmes, and improved agriculture technology.

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