UNB, Dhaka :
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has briefed Bangladesh’s Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury about progress of a new rice type, which once released would revolutionize the world’s overall cereal production.
IRRI along with 17 world renowned research groups from the 12 institutions in eight countries have been pursuing a 22-year rice engineering project and has got some early success this year after nine years of research. During her recent visit to the IRRI headquarters in the Philippines, the Bangladesh’s agriculture minister, expressed her keen interest in the ‘C4’ rice, which is expected to increase the global rice production by 50 percent. A government press statement on Sunday said that Matia requested the IRRI to create opportunities for more Bangladeshi scientists to get involved in the frontier science in pursuit of phenomenal increase in rice output. IRRI Director General Dr. Matthew Morell welcomed a Matia-led visiting Bangladesh delegation to the Institute on November 28 and said that IRRI would continue to work with Bangladesh to ensure collaborative and responsive programs for the rice sector are in place to meet the current and future needs of the country’s rice industry, particularly for the vulnerable farmers and consumers. IRRI scientists took Matia Chowdhury to a lab visit to show the progress of the rice called – C4, which is more energy efficient, meaning can convert sun power better in producing food.
Scientists have long been toying with the idea of engineering rice plant in a way that the global production of the cereal gets a dramatic boost. The idea came from the concern that the traditional research, which results in just one percent rise in the yearly yield, would not be enough to meet the ever-growing demand. So the plan was to convert rice into a photosynthesis-efficient plant, which would produce substantially more grains using the sunlight. Nine years into the initiation of an ambitious rice plant engineering project, a group of scientists have recently declared a major breakthrough in improving photosynthesis for the cereal.
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has briefed Bangladesh’s Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury about progress of a new rice type, which once released would revolutionize the world’s overall cereal production.
IRRI along with 17 world renowned research groups from the 12 institutions in eight countries have been pursuing a 22-year rice engineering project and has got some early success this year after nine years of research. During her recent visit to the IRRI headquarters in the Philippines, the Bangladesh’s agriculture minister, expressed her keen interest in the ‘C4’ rice, which is expected to increase the global rice production by 50 percent. A government press statement on Sunday said that Matia requested the IRRI to create opportunities for more Bangladeshi scientists to get involved in the frontier science in pursuit of phenomenal increase in rice output. IRRI Director General Dr. Matthew Morell welcomed a Matia-led visiting Bangladesh delegation to the Institute on November 28 and said that IRRI would continue to work with Bangladesh to ensure collaborative and responsive programs for the rice sector are in place to meet the current and future needs of the country’s rice industry, particularly for the vulnerable farmers and consumers. IRRI scientists took Matia Chowdhury to a lab visit to show the progress of the rice called – C4, which is more energy efficient, meaning can convert sun power better in producing food.
Scientists have long been toying with the idea of engineering rice plant in a way that the global production of the cereal gets a dramatic boost. The idea came from the concern that the traditional research, which results in just one percent rise in the yearly yield, would not be enough to meet the ever-growing demand. So the plan was to convert rice into a photosynthesis-efficient plant, which would produce substantially more grains using the sunlight. Nine years into the initiation of an ambitious rice plant engineering project, a group of scientists have recently declared a major breakthrough in improving photosynthesis for the cereal.
