<strong>gra<strong>in</strong></strong> <strong>of</strong> truthLearn<strong>in</strong>g lessons from the HRDCBY FANGMING XIEThe Hybrid Rice DevelopmentConsortium (HRDC) wasestablished at the InternationalRice Research Institute (IRRI)<strong>in</strong> 2008 with 38 public and privateorganizations. Its membership thenexpanded to 47 organizations <strong>in</strong> 2009as it aimed to renew and strengthen thecollaboration between the private andthe public sector and to enhance thedissem<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> hybrid rice technology.This technology has been used as akey tool <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g rice production andproductivity s<strong>in</strong>ce the 1970s. The areacovered by hybrid rice <strong>in</strong> 2008 reached20 million hectares globally, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g3 million hectares <strong>in</strong> countries outsideCh<strong>in</strong>a. IRRI, collaborat<strong>in</strong>g with publicand private partners, has contributedsignificantly to the research anddevelopment <strong>of</strong> hybrid rice <strong>in</strong> the tropics—provid<strong>in</strong>g many research f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs,technical support, and germplasm andhybrids for breed<strong>in</strong>g and release.Hybrid rice research began <strong>in</strong>public <strong>in</strong>stitutes, as it was essential toprovide basic scientific <strong>in</strong>formation andknow-how on the technology, adoption,economics, and policy support. As thetechnology advanced, private enterprisesbecame more <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> all aspects <strong>of</strong>hybrid rice research and development;they even <strong>in</strong>vested <strong>in</strong> hybrid rice seedbus<strong>in</strong>esses. The shift <strong>of</strong> hybrid rice fromacademic research to commercializationrequires a close partnership betweenthe public and the private sector toenhance the steady stream <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>novationand research outputs, and to improveproduct accessibility and commercialuse ultimately by rice farmers. Theprivate sector <strong>in</strong> the seed <strong>in</strong>dustryhas a comparative advantage <strong>in</strong> largescalecommercial production, seedprocess<strong>in</strong>g, and market<strong>in</strong>g—areas <strong>in</strong>which IRRI and public <strong>in</strong>stitutes haveno direct <strong>in</strong>volvement. However, thepublic sector has expertise <strong>in</strong> scientificresearch, product assessment, germplasmdevelopment, technology dissem<strong>in</strong>ation,and capacity build<strong>in</strong>g. To comb<strong>in</strong>e thesecomplementary advantages is beneficialto both parties and encourag<strong>in</strong>g privatesector<strong>in</strong>volvement is critical <strong>in</strong> ensur<strong>in</strong>gthe susta<strong>in</strong>able growth <strong>of</strong> hybrid rice.Through the HRDC, IRRIcontributes <strong>in</strong> three areas: (1) enhancedresearch on specific traits <strong>of</strong> hybridrice, such as <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g yield and<strong>in</strong>creased and stable yield <strong>of</strong> seedproduction, improved resistances tostresses, and improved <strong>gra<strong>in</strong></strong> quality;(2) improved germplasm/hybrids thathave diverse genetic background andthat have been evaluated by networkorganizations around the world; and(3) better <strong>in</strong>formation and capacitybuild<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the best managementpractices to realize high yield potential,germplasm/hybrid evaluation, moleculartechnology application, and otheradvanced research related to rice.Dur<strong>in</strong>g the past years, HRDCmembers have met annually to reviewthe progress <strong>of</strong> hybrid rice at IRRI. Theyidentified and validated common issueschalleng<strong>in</strong>g the research and development<strong>of</strong> hybrid rice and the constra<strong>in</strong>ts thatlimited public-private partnership. As aresult <strong>of</strong> these evaluations, the membersdeveloped a new transparent mechanismto improve their collaboration. Theydiscussed priorities and identified areasthat urgently needed to be improved.Recogniz<strong>in</strong>g the importance <strong>of</strong> access<strong>in</strong>gIRRI’s hybrid rice products and<strong>in</strong>formation, IRRI’s hybrid rice programhas taken a product-oriented approach t<strong>of</strong>ocus more on product development anddelivery.The HRDC has built a regionalhybrid test<strong>in</strong>g network to assess itsmembers’ hybrid rice <strong>in</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>genvironments across the differentcountries and locations. Memberbreeders are <strong>in</strong>vited to participate <strong>in</strong>selection for hybrid rice breed<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>esdeveloped at IRRI—and these l<strong>in</strong>escan be further evaluated <strong>in</strong> members’environments and then <strong>in</strong>tegrated <strong>in</strong>totheir own breed<strong>in</strong>g programs.The HRDC believes that memberscan speed up research on hybrid rice ifthey can all pool together the resourcesgathered from the private and publicsector. This would allow them to formstrong support and an endowment thatwould result <strong>in</strong> the development <strong>of</strong> awider range <strong>of</strong> hybrid products—fromwhich the general public could alsoconsiderably benefit.The HRDC significantly enhancesthe capacity for hybrid rice researchat IRRI and also works to boostproduct delivery with improved hybridrice germplasm, research output,<strong>in</strong>formation, and tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g. The publicsector benefits from the collaborationby actively participat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the researchand development: learn<strong>in</strong>g the needs <strong>of</strong>the seed market and adjust<strong>in</strong>g researchactivities. Farmers, however, benefit themost from the improved pipel<strong>in</strong>e forproduct development because they canavail <strong>of</strong> more and better rice hybrids thatcan <strong>in</strong>crease rice productivity at reducedcosts.It is important to note that theHRDC, which is hosted at IRRI, is nota competitor <strong>of</strong> private enterprises <strong>in</strong>the seed market. Its role is to provideresearch services and support to both thepublic and private sector. The consortiumendeavors to establish a new publicprivatepartnership model that willmaximize the use <strong>of</strong> modern agriculturaltechnology to produce hybrid rice andmake an impact on rice production.Successful partnerships betweenthe private and the public sector canprove to be the key to mak<strong>in</strong>g researchprograms susta<strong>in</strong>able. This would createclear accountability among partnerorganizations, and allow all partiesto capitalize on each organization’sstrengths. Draw<strong>in</strong>g lessons from theHRDC’s experience could serve well <strong>in</strong>build<strong>in</strong>g new public-private partnershipsfor seed-based technologies <strong>in</strong> the future.Dr. Xie is a hybrid rice breeder <strong>in</strong>IRRI’s Plant Breed<strong>in</strong>g, Genetics, andBiotechnology Division. He is currentlythe coord<strong>in</strong>ator <strong>of</strong> HRDC. See the HRDCWeb site at http://hrdc.irri.org46 Rice Today April-June 2010
8-12 November 2010Vietnam National Convention Center, Hanoi VietnamThe world’s latest discussionplatform for rice <strong>in</strong>frastructure<strong>in</strong>vestments, trade & policyplann<strong>in</strong>g.One <strong>of</strong> the ma<strong>in</strong> events <strong>of</strong> the International Rice Congress 2010,the International Rice Policy & Investment Conference will gatherthe <strong>in</strong>dustry’s politicians, bus<strong>in</strong>essmen, traders, rice processorsand policy-makers.Witness the live discussion on <strong>in</strong>ternational policy and <strong>in</strong>vestmentopportunities <strong>in</strong> rice from the movers and shakers <strong>of</strong> the rice<strong>in</strong>dustry.
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