| Australian Minister Visits IRRI |
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| Friday, 01 February 2002 | |
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Friday, February 01, 2002
IRRI welcomed the Australian minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon. Warren Truss, to its research center in Los Baños on 3 February. Minister Truss was in the Philippines to strengthen bilateral economic ties. The visit further cemented Australia-IRRI collaboration in rice research. IRRI Director General Ronald P. Cantrell, Deputy Director General for Partnerships William G. Padolina, and Deputy Director General for Research Ren Wang welcomed Minister Truss. Duncan Macintosh, head of IRRI Visitors and Information Services, briefed Minister Truss on IRRI’s global work. Mark A. Bell, head of the institute’s International Programs Management Office, updated the minister on major Australia-IRRI projects, including the recently completed Cambodia-IRRI-Australia Project (CIAP). Research under CIAP involved rice varietal improvement, integrated nutrient management, integrated pest management, agricultural engineering, and farming systems. Minister Truss visited IRRI’s Agricultural Engineering Unit and Experiment Station, where Joseph Rickman, unit head, demonstrated a prototype miniature ricemill (photo). Minister Truss also visited the International Rice Genebank. His Excellency John Buckley, the Australian ambassador to the Philippines, accompanied Minister Truss. Australia is a major contributor to IRRI’s research. Its total contribution to IRRI’s programs and activities from 1973 to 2001, largely funneled through the Australian Agency for International Development and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, totaled $31.2 million. IRRI’s phytotron facilities were financed by a $1 million donation from Australia in 1974.IRRI Conducts NEST, Medical Consultations in Laguna Barangays |
