Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-10-17

Establishment of a Monitoring Office of the International Rice Research Institution (IRRI) in Sri Lanka

- Although paddy production should be further increased with the challenges of climatic change and population increase in order to meet the food requirement of the country, it is not possible to practically increase the arable land any further and as such, it has become absolutely necessary to increase the paddy production and the qualitative aspect of the produce with the use of research findings and new technological methods.

In obtaining the scientific and technical knowledge required for Sri Lanka in this regard, the Headquarters of the International Rice Research Institution established in the Philippines has made a great contribution. It has been proposed to establish an Operating Office of the Institution at the Paddy Research Institute situated in Bathalagoda, Sri Lanka, in order to carry out the research and training programmes relating to the future paddy cultivation more productively. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Duminda Dissanayake, the Minister of Agriculture, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the International Rice Research Institution and the Paddy Research Institute of Sri Lanka for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.