Bill Gates visits IARI; expresses keen interest in research on climate resilient agriculture

Billionaire-philanthropist Bill Gates on Wednesday visited Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), the seat of India's green revolution, and spent one and a half hours at the Pusa campus here in the national capital.

Bill Gates, co-chair and trustee of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, showed deep interest in agri-research programmes of IARI, particularly climate resilient agriculture and conservation agriculture.

"It was a very great visit today. Bill Gates spent almost one and a half hours here. ...He was highly impressed with national research programme in India. He said, 'I should invest in national programme'," IARI Director A K Singh told media here.

Gates visited the IARI's climate change facility and saw how elevated level of carbon dioxide is being simulated and crops are grown in fields.

He also visited a programme on conservation agriculture in maize-wheat cropping system. Gates showed deep interest in the conservation agriculture because one of his goals is to address the problem of malnutrition globally, for which he is making investments in developing sustainable agriculture tools, Singh added.

Gates also saw drone technology, developed by IARI, for monitoring insects and diseases in the fields, as well as a programme on drought-tolerant chickpea.

Asked if Gates promised funds, IARI Director said, "It is for us to move forward with proposals. We have quite a few funding from his foundation. These projects has to go to next phase after five years. We did put it in his ears. He was very receptive."

IARI has got funding for projects on digitisation of plant breeding, using genome selection and human resources development in the field of new science like genome editing and so on.