Enhancement of cooperation with the International Rice Research Institute
Updated on 07:04, Wednesday, 04/06/2014 (GMT+7)
From 21 to 22 May, 2014 a delegation led by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat with participation of representatives from the Department of Science, Technology and Environment (DOSTE), Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS), and Hanoi University of Agriculture (HUA) paid an official visit to and worked with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) about "Vietnam Agricultural Restructuring Program" during the trip to the World Economic Forum on East Asia held in the Philippines. Vice Rector of HUA, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Van Liet, participated in the delegation.
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Warmly receiving the delegation were Dr. Robert Zeigler, IRRI Director General, Dr. V. Bruce J. Tolentino, Deputy Director, Dr. Bertrand Collard, Head of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division, Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, Head of Social Sciences Division, and Dr. Screenivasulu Nese, Head of Grain Quality and Nutrition Center.
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At the meeting, the two sides intensively discussed IRRI’s supports in terms of technical assistance and capacity building for academic institutions in Vietnam as well as tentative schedule and team composition for the second mission proposed in June 2014 in Vietnam to investigate the current status and capacity building for the rice sector of Vietnam including funding resources, manpower, breeding programs, etc, and the capacity of Vietnam’s academic institutions in breeding, biotechnology, rice nutrition and quality, rice cultivation and to understand the current support policies, and finally to propose best solutions for the development of Vietnam’s rice sector.
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During the proposed mission, the IRRI experts and research team will visit labs, facilities, greenhouses, and demonstration fields, etc at HUA. As assigned, HUA researchers will prepare an overview of the current status of rice breeding programs under HUA to present to the team.