- From
-
Published on
19.08.24
LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA (17 August 2024) – His Excellency Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the President of the Republic of Singapore visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Los Baños Philippines headquarters, as part of his state visit to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Singapore-Philippines diplomatic relations. President Shanmugaratnam’s Los Baños engagements at IRRI and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity highlighted the organizations’ efforts in promoting sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation, and centered on exploratory talks on how Singapore and the Philippines can collaborate in these areas.
Welcomed by IRRI Director General Dr. Yvonne Pinto, President Shanmugaratnam engaged in discussions with IRRI scientists on collaborative opportunities with Singapore, in view of the rising global demand for rice amidst food and nutrition security, and climate challenges. The presentations featured IRRI’s nutrition innovations such as the low glycemic index (GI) and high protein rice, and water management research. The President, accompanied by Mrs. Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam and his delegation, likewise engaged with the IRRI delegation in a sensory low GI rice tasting session.
The President participated in a guided tour of the International Rice Genebank (IRG), which houses the world’s largest collection of rice genetic diversity. He was given an overview of how IRRI leverages the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-throughput phenotyping methodologies toward fast-tracking the development and deployment of high-yielding, climate-resilient rice varieties. A key feature of the IRG tour was the showcase of samples from the 67 accessions of rice seeds deposited in the IRG, by Singapore-based organizations such as the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources…