The 8th Meeting of the ISARC Coordination Committee (ICC) was held on March 10, 2025, at the International Rice Research Institute – South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), Varanasi, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss the progress and future direction of ISARC’s initiatives.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Jongsoo Shin, Asia Regional Director, IRRI; Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary (IC, Credit, Oilseeds & Oil Palm, Seeds), Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Bangladesh Secretariat; Dr. Ram Krishna Shrestha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Govt. of Nepal; Dr. Devendra Kumar Yadava, Deputy Director General (Crops), Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Government of India; Dr. Paresh Verma, Director of Research, Shriram Bioseed Genetics India Ltd., Hyderabad; Dr. Dilip Srivastava, Deputy Commissioner, Seed Quality Control, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India; Dr. M. P. Yadav, Seed Technologist, National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC); and Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, ISARC.
Addressing the meeting, Joint Secretary Ajeet Kumar Sahu highlighted the critical role of South- South collaboration in strengthening India’s seed sector and emphasized ISARC’s engagement in shaping the ongoing national seed policy revisions. A key focus of the meeting was on bio-fortification and high-value rice varieties, such as Kalanamak and low-GI rice, which hold immense potential for enhancing food and nutrition security.
Sahu called for stronger policy support and promotion of these varieties to maximize their benefits. He also stressed the need for scaling up released rice varieties through large-scale demonstration programs of the government, urging ISARC’s active involvement in ensuring their effective adoption among farmers.
Representatives from Bangladesh and Nepal emphasized the urgent need to strengthen innovation, research, and capacity development to address challenges posed by climate change, food insecurity, and agricultural sustainability. They called for knowledge sharing in cutting-edge technologies, including genome editing, bioinformatics, scale-appropriate mechanization, and artificial intelligence, to enhance crop resilience and sustainability. Both countries expressed interest in sending master’s and PhD students for research at ISARC and organizing regional knowledge-sharing workshops to strengthen South-South collaboration.
Senior scientists of ISARC presented major achievements in research, capacity development, and operational progress of the centre in South Asia and Africa. Updates were also provided on areas such as rice value addition, sustainable agriculture, seed systems, mechanization, residue management, digital innovations, and education. A significant discussion focused on extending ISARC’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) beyond March 2027.
The meeting concluded with remarks from the Chair and Co-Chair, followed by a vote of thanks from Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, ISARC, highlighting the collaborative efforts that continue to drive agricultural innovation and impact in South Asia.
