Varanasi: Deelip Veerpakshappa Swami, Managing Director, and Prafull Lahane, General Manager for Quality Assurance and Research, Maharashtra State Seeds Corporation Limited (MSSC), also known as MAHABEEJ, visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), Varanasi, on Thursday to explore the Centre’s research facilities, field-based innovations and technologies supporting sustainable rice-based agriculture.The farm visit covered the Speed Breeding Facility, Mechanization and Postharvest Unit, Direct-seeded rice (DSR) trial plots and drone demonstrations, Varietal Cafeteria, Varietal trials, and Natural Resource Management (NRM) plots. These facilities showcase research and technologies aimed at improving crop productivity, resource-use efficiency, and sustainability in rice-based farming systems.Swami also visited key research facilities, including the Geospatial Lab, Computational Biology Lab, EdTech Studio, Plant & Soil Lab, and the NABL-accredited Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA) Labs. They also interacted with ISARC scientists. The programme further included a visit to the National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC).
