Released improved rice varieties

IRRI has released more than a thousand improved rice varieties in 78 countries since its establishment in 1960.

Rice is the most important food crop in the developing world and the staple of more than half of the world's population. Worldwide, more than 3.5 billion people depend on rice for more than 20% of their daily calories. From the first modern variety developed - IR8, to climate-smart rice varieties now made available to millions of farmers in Asia and Africa, IRRI's varietal improvement work has enabled countries to make rice accessible and affordable, making it an important factor for food security and political stability.  

An independent assessment by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) found that Southeast Asian rice farmers in three countries alone - the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam - harvested an extra US$1.46 billion worth of rice a year as a result of the varietal improvement done by IRRI and its partners. A 13% boost in yield gave returns of $127 per hectare in southern Vietnam, $76 per hectare in Indonesia, and $52 per hectare in the Philippines.

Know more about IRRI's work on rice seeds and better rice varieties.