15 November 2010
IRRI Supplies Thousands of Seed Samples to Global Vault
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IRRI sent over 40,000 seeds in this delivery and over 70,000 seeds in a previous shipment.

November 2010: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has sent a second contribution of rice seed samples to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.

IRRI sent over 40,000 seeds in this delivery and over 70,000 seeds in a previous shipment. The seed vault is kept at ideal temperatures and conditions for preserving seeds for hundreds of years. The seeds deposited in the Global Seed Vault are duplicates of rice seeds stored in IRRI’s laboratory in the Philippines. The seeds in the Global Seed Vault are kept in long-term storage, and a sample is used for distribution to farmers, abiding by the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR). Operational costs of the Vault are supported by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an independent organization.

IRRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [IRRI Press release]