Welcome to the T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center at IRRI.

Latest news!

On World Food Day, Monday 16 October 2006, at a signing ceremony in FAO jointly with all other CGIAR centres, IRRI concluded an agreement with the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Treaty introduces a new multilateral system for the safe conservation and fair use of plant genetic resources. It brings to an end over two decades of doubt and suspicion about the use and misuse of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, by ensuring that a fair share of the benefits arising from their use flow equitably to where they are most needed and most deserved - conservation of genetic resources primarily in developing countries.

Our agreement places the genetic resources held in trust by IRRI within the scope of the Treaty. It replaces our current agreement with the FAO, which in 1994 placed the genetic resources held in the genebank at IRRI under the auspices of the FAO, to be held by IRRI in trust for the benefit of the international community. The FAO agreement was intended only as a temporary solution pending negotation of the Treaty; the new agreement represents the culmination of that process.

Therefore, starting 1 January 2007, IRRI and all other CGIAR centres with genebanks are using new procedures for germplasm exchange. If you want to obtain rice from us, or to send rice to us, this will affect you.

For more information see:

Some of the knowledge in these pages has been incorporated into the Rice KnowledgeBank, a centralized repository for all types of knowledge about rice.

You will need Adobe® Acrobat® to view some of the pages. You can download Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® for free.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton
Head, T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center
International Rice Research Institute
DAPO Box 7777 Metro Manila, Philippines

Email: r.hamilton@cgiar.org
Tel. (63-2) 580 5600 ext. 2809
Fax  (63-2) 845 0606