Japan commits $25 million to international rice research

Japan has committed US$20 million toward international rice breeding efforts and an additional $5 million for extension training of African rice specialists.

Announced at the Board of Trustees meeting of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) held in Japan this week, the funding will be provided to IRRI, the Africa Rice Center, and their national partners.

The meeting was held to mark the 50th anniversary of collaboration between IRRI and Japan, after IRRI was founded in the Philippines in 1960.

"Japan’s decision to substantially increase support for international rice research is coming at a crucial time for global food security, especially in the face of major threats such as climate change," said Dr. Elizabeth Woods, the chair of the IRRI Board of Trustees.

"We welcome Japan’s decision to increase funding and look forward to working with our many research partners in Japan to ensure enough rice for all rice consumers everywhere.”

The long-term partnership between IRRI and Japan is based on their common interest of pursuing the potential of rice to meet rising global food needs.

Low-input rice, direct-seeding technology, rice tungro control, and rices adaptability to water stress are collaborative projects IRRI and Japan have worked on together. Japan has also funded IRRI to research submergence-tolerant rice and postharvest technologies.

This latest Japanese contribution of $20 million over five years is aimed at the development of rice seeds resistant to heat and drought. The activities would include development of the next generation of modern rice varieties for Africa and other new high-yielding rice varieties – with improved stress tolerance and insect resistance – and tailored to the consumption preferences of African consumers.

The $5 million over five years for extension training of African rice specialists aims to improve the quality and quantity of rice harvests through a cadre of extension agents, cooperating with skilled technicians, to effectively transfer farm management knowledge, and up-to-date production and postproduction technologies to farmers directly and through other extension agents.

Japan is the world’s top government donor to agriculture, providing one-quarter of total bilateral agricultural development assistance, grants, and loans of countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Rice yields in Japan are 70% higher than the world average, a testament to Japans long-term public investments in research to generate better rice varieties and production methods.

"This latest investment in rice research from Japan will build on Japans outstanding history of rice research to help rice farmers worldwide produce more rice and to do so in a sustainable way," said Dr. Woods.