At the end of its annual Board of Trustees' (BoT) meeting in Dhaka, Irri in a press release said if Bangladesh had not invested the money, it would have depended on food aid worth US$ 229 million a year.

The three-day first ever Irri BoT meeting in Bangladesh concluded at Brac Centre Inn with the taking over of Irri chairmanship by renowned Japanese economist Keijiro Otsuka from Angeline S Kamba of Zimbabwe.

Otsuka, who was a visiting scientist at Irri from 1986 to 1989, joined International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) as a visiting research fellow in 1993. He is also a professor of economics at Tokyo Metropolitan University.

"Not only has Bangladesh been able to achieve food security despite huge challenges, it is now moving very effectively to develop and roll out a range of new technologies and strategies to help the country's poorest rice farmers boost their livelihood," the press release quoted Irri Director General Ronald P Cantrell as saying at the meeting.

It has only been possible because of strong support and recognition of rice research in Bangladesh at the highest political levels, he said.

The DG and the outgoing Irri chairperson met Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on Thursday and discussed Irri's support to rice research in Bangladesh.

On September 10, Agriculture Minister MK Anwar inaugurated a two-day agriculture fair, in presence of IRRI trustees, at Sheraton Hotel on the sidelines of the Irri BoT meeting.