18 March 2016 — Dr. Matthew K. Morell, who assumed his post on December 20, 2015 as the new Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), paid a courtesy call today on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Q. Del Rosario.

Undersecretary Del Rosario congratulated Dr. Morell on his appointment and expressed absolute confidence on his academic credentials, experience and overall competence to lead the continuous pursuit of IRRI’s supreme mandate to “reduce poverty and hunger through rice science.”

The politically sensitive issues of rice shortage and GMOs, particularly the Golden Rice, which is an IRRI genetically engineered variety, were discussed. Related to this, IRRI reported that according to the latest data set, i.e. 2010-2013, the Philippines has the fastest rice yield growth and that the gap between need and production is relatively small which is reflected by the country’s current import level at  less than 2%. Dr. Morell mentioned that IRRI’s Rice Genebank already holds more than 125,000 types and this figure continues to grow.

Discussions also touched on IRRI’s strategic collaborations with the Department of Agriculture (DA). These include the turn-over of high-yielding flood-tolerant rice to assist farmers in Leyte and Samar affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. Dr. Morell, who was IRRI’s Deputy Director General for Research at that time, reported that the seeds are among “the best varieties in the pipeline” developed especially to thrive in Philippine conditions.

IRRI is also presently working with DA in the country’s Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP). IRRI reported that the Philippines has become an important partner through the implementation of the FSSP which is spearheaded by DA. Dr. Morell assured the Undersecretary that the seven projects under FSSP are tightly managed and strongly aligned to the country’s priorities.

Undersecretary Del Rosario noted IRRI’s crucial role, in ten out of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development which was adopted at the last UN Summit, particularly vis-à-vis Goal 2 to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.

Dr. Morell committed to support the Philippines beginning with mapping IRRI’s work against the country’s national targets and strengthen its cooperation with the DA and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

During the call, Dr. Morell shared that he is “certainly enjoying”, “the work is fantastic” and that Los Baños is a “lovely place”. He added that he has a five-year contract. 

IRRI, founded in 1960, is headquartered at Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. It has 17 country offices in Asia and Africa and operations in 25 nations. Supported by public and private donors, it is the premier global, independent, non-profit research and training institute on rice science. END