Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) has renewed its collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture in an effort to continue a rice development programme in the country
Under the renewed collaboration, NSTDA and the ministry would share agricultural information and other advanced technologies to improve the crop yield.
NSTDA said that both the agencies would share resources like laboratory, research findings and finance. They would also conduct workshops and seminars on the latest development in rice production.
Thailand’s Ministry of Agricultural said that the first contract between the agencies expired on 9 February 2014.
“During the collaboration we had developed two rice breeds — one is a flood-tolerant and photosensitive and the other kind is stick rice, which can withstand rice blast disease and is also photosensitive.
“We also developed a mobile application to detect and count brown planthopper insects and estimate the quantity of fertilisers present in the plant,” noted the ministry.
Thaweesak Koanantakool, president of NSTDA, added, “We would continue to develop rice breeds for sustainable food supply and ease farmers in growing rice. The research would also develop the whole value chain on rice from the plantation to consumption.”
