Vietnamese officials visit IRRI for a closer look at its activities in Vietnam

Thirty-two officials from Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Petrovietnam Fertilizer and Chemical Corporation visited IRRI on 11 June to learn more about the Institute’s research activities, particularly  the Closing rice yield gaps in Asia with reduced environmental footprint (CORIGAP). CORIGAP, a project under the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, aims to optimize productivity and sustainability of irrigated rice production systems in several Asian countries including Vietnam.

The delegates were briefed by Dr. Grant Singleton, CORIGAP coordinator, on the activities of both IRRC and CORIGAP in Vietnam. Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, climate change specialist, presented his team’s research on climate change while Dr. Roland Buresh, soil scientist, discussed site-specific nutrient management. IRRC developed the principles for site-specific nutrient management which has evolved into the Rice Crop Manager decision-support tool.

The visit was arranged by Dr. Pham Van Du, deputy director general of the Department of Crop Production, Vietnam, in coordination with the project office of CORIGAP.

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