IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) 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.

• This Centre will be the first of its kind international Centre in the eastern India.

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.

• Under the proposal, a Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) will be set up in Varanasi. This will include a modern and sophisticated laboratory with capacity to determine quality and status of heavy metals in grain and straw.

• The Centre will also undertake capacity building exercises for stakeholders across the 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.

Source:PIB