South Asia Regional Center of International Rice Research Institute is inaugurated by Prime Minister in Varanasi

This institute will support Government’s effort to double the farmers’ income by 2022

•  The Prime Minister inaugurated the “South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC)” of International Rice Research Institute in Varanasi. This institute will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia and will support the Government’s goal of double the farmers’ income by 2022.
•  The institute will help farmers of the region to develop varieties of paddy which grow in minimum water and have low sugar content and high nutritional value.
•  With an aim to double farmers’ income, it is the 6th IRRI SARC campus here which will serve as a hub for rice research and training in South Asia and SAARC region.
• The education and training arm of IRRI SARC, IRRI Education, will also be engaged in teaching scientists and agriculture leaders about the latest technologies and innovations for sustainable farming.

What is South Asia Regional Center of IRRI?

• It is an Institution of International Rice Research Institute, dedicated for research and scientific promotions of agriculture development especially in rice cultivation.
•  This Center will be the first international Center in the eastern India and it will play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. It is 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 help in utilizing the rich biodiversity of India to develop special rice varieties. This will help India to achieve higher per hectare yields and improved nutritional contents. India’s food and nutritional security issues will also be addressed.
• The Centre will support in adopting value chain based production system in the country. This will reduce wastage, add value and generate higher income for the farmers. The farmers in Eastern India will benefit in particular, besides those in South Asian and African countries.

Management of ISARC

•  ISARC will operate under the governance of the IRRI Board of Trustees who will appoint an appropriate IRRI staff member as Director.
•  A Coordination Committee will be headed by Director General, IRRI as Chair and Secretary, Government of India, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW) as Co-Chair.
•  The other members of Coordination Committee are Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), ICAR; Director, NSRTC; IRRI representative in India, representative of Government of UP and representatives of Governments of Nepal & Bangladesh and Private Sector.