A delegation from the Agricultural Genetics Institute (AGI) of Vietnam including the Director General, Dr. Pham Xuan Hoi, visited JIRCAS on November 1, 2019 to acquire information on current trends in biotechnology, particularly genome editing and marker-assisted selection for rice breeding, and to explore the possibility of research collaboration in the future.

Dr. Kazuo Nakashima, Director of Stable Agricultural Production Program, introduced current researches of JIRCAS on rice breeding using biotechnology. On the other hand, Dr. Hoi introduced the organizational structure of AGI, research related to genetics and breeding of rice, soybean etc. and international joint research activities. The delegation also had discussions and exchange of opinions with JIRCAS researchers in the field of rice breeding and pathology on the development of rice blast resistant varieties and the possibility of new joint research and collaborative cooperation in the future.