In 2016, India will commemorate the 50th anniversary of IR8, a specially engineered rice variety that spared much of Asia from starvation.
India marked the 50th anniversary of IR8 on November 21, 2016. IR8 is a high-yielding semi-dwarf rice variety developed in the early 1960s by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). It was the work of Peter Jennings (not to be confused with the American journalist) and Henry Beachell. IR8 was first introduced in the Philippines and India in November 1966. Promoters such as the IRRI and farmer benefactors of IR8 have dubbed it "miracle rice," and it has been credited with preventing famine.
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