05 October 2016- The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi visited the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Hyderabad, India on 01 October 2016.  ICRISAT is an international organization which conducts agricultural research for rural development. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dry land tropics.It has several Centers of Excellence includingtheCenter of Excellence in Genomics (CEG) that offers courses and workshops to provide scientists/researchers updated information on application of genomics technology in crop research and breeding.

Ambassador Ma. Teresita C. Daza, her spouse Mr. David Jose Daza, Economic Assistant Ms. Meri Jayne Cruz-Cinco, and representatives from PHCG Chennai met with Mr. Mr. Murli M. Sharma, ICRISAT’s Senior Manager, Ms. Smitha Sitaraman, Communication Manager, and Dr. Rajeev K Varshney, Research Program Director - Genetic Gains who was recently awarded Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for Biological Sciences.The Embassy team was briefed about the Institute, its innovative research and initiatives such as the “soil test-based micronutrient management” which involves the management of soil nutrition, including stratified soil sampling, analysis, recording the nutrient deficiency and recommending fertilizer application to boost the strength of the soil. Its aim is to increase food production in the existing farmland while minimizing pressure on the environment through efficient management of natural resources.

The Embassy team also had an opportunity to visit the CEG as well as the ICRISAT Gene Bank which serves as a repository for the collection of germplasmof the six (6) mandate crops (sorghum,pearl,millet,finger,millet,chickpea, pigeonpeaand groundnut); and five (5) small millets (foxtail millet, little millet, kodo millet, proso millet and barnyard millet). The collection has over 120,000 variety of germplasm collected from 144 countries, including from the Philippines.

ICRISAT was headed by a Filipino national, Dr. William Dollente Dar, as Director General from 1999 to 2014. END

The Philippine Embassy team during their visit in the ICRISAT campus including its Center of Excellence in Genomics (CEG)