Indonesia: New research agreement to boost rice production,

In an bid to avoid food shortages, Indonesia is increasing its rice production by signing of a new agreement that will help the nation's millions of poor rice farmers with new technologies.

Senior officials and scientists of the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), and other agencies of the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, signed the three-year agreement with the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on March 23 in Jakarta.

The new agreement between Indonesia and IRRI focuses on three key areas: support for the Indonesian government's Rice Production Increase Program, collaborative research, and human resource development.