Paz Benavidez, the newly appointed director of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) under the Philippine Department of Agriculture in the Philippines, visited IRRI on 16 September to boost ties with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
"I really need to know more about IRRI and its relationship with BPI and how to strengthen our partnership more," said Atty. Benavidez.
Dr. Bruce Tolentino, deputy-director general for communication and partnerships, provided the BPI head and members of her party, Dr. Vivencio Mamaril and Ms. Edith Almirante, with an overview of the Institute's work. The group also visited the International Rice Genebank, the Golden Rice screenhouse, the Long-Term Continuous Cropping Experiment plot, and IRRI's seed health unit and breeding lines.
"I think IRRI is a responsible institution when it comes to handling seeds and materials, especially transgenics," said Atty. Benavidez.
IRRI has worked with BPI for about 30 years in releasing the seeds of new rice varieties developed by the Institute.