Bangladesh Rice Research Institute

The institute is focused on accelerating the development and dissemination of climate-resilient, stress-tolerant rice varieties to ensure national food security.

BRRI was founded on October 1, 1970, as the East Pakistan Rice Research Institute (EPRRI) at Joydebpur, Gazipur; renamed BRRI and re-established as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Act, 1973 (Act X of 1973); established_year set to 1970, the year of physical founding, consistent with the BRRI official website, Wikipedia, and Banglapedia. The 1973 Act is the legal charter; amended in 1996 (Act V of 1996) and again by the BRRI Act 2017. Headquarters: Joydebpur, Gazipur-1701, 36 km north of Dhaka. Research infrastructure: headquarters plus 17 regional stations across agro-ecological zones (Barisal, Bhanga, Khulna, Kushtia, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Habiganj, Comilla, Sonagazi, Rangamati, and others); 18 research divisions. Genebank: approximately 7,500 germplasm accessions (nearly 5,000 local varieties per Banglapedia; Wikipedia figure not separately stated). Staff count of 786 total (308 scientists) is from Wikipedia citing 2023 data; Banglapedia cites older figures (134 scientists + 344 supporting staff), superseded by Wikipedia's 2023 figure. Budget: BDT 1.1 billion (USD 8.9 million) for FY 2022-23 from Wikipedia; no FY 2025-26 standalone BRRI budget found. Total variety count: pre-February 2026 was 121 (per ARRW January 2026 press release citing DG Khalequzzaman); NSB 115th meeting added 6 varieties; post-approval total is 127, cross-verified by The Daily Star, TBS News, and Rice News Today. BRRI Dhan 115 characteristics (vitamin E 14.98 mg/kg, C3G 29.12 mg/kg, 7.4 t/ha, 137-142 days, anther culture) sourced from The Daily Star and Rice News Today. BRRI Dhan 116 (8.59 t/ha average, 10.36 t/ha potential, 13.75% over BRRI Dhan 92), Dhan 117 (8.6 t/ha, 9.90 t/ha potential, salt-tolerant, blast-resistant), Dhan 118 (cold-tolerant haor, min 6.0 t/ha) all from same sources. Hybrid Dhan 9-10: 145-147 day cycle, 9.7-10.7 t/ha, protein 9.1%, lodging-resistant, moderately salt-tolerant per TBS News and The Daily Star. NSB meeting date confirmed as February 2026 by three independent sources; exact day not published, set to 2026-02-01 as month-start placeholder. DG appointment: Dr. Aminul Islam confirmed May 4, 2026 by BSS News, Daily Sun, and Business Times BD (three independent sources); succeeded Dr. Mohammad Khalequzzaman who chaired the January 2026 ARRW and served as DG through at least January 2026. The ARRW January 15, 2026 date confirmed by BSS News. Agriculture Minister IRRI meeting in April 2026 confirmed by BSS News and IRRI; exact day not specified, set to 2026-04-01 as month-start placeholder. Boro 2025-26 stock figure of 1.86 million MT (highest since January 2022) sourced from USDA FAS GAIN report. verification_status 'verified': all core institutional facts (establishment, legal basis, mandate, parent, headquarters) cross-verified across Wikipedia, Banglapedia, bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd, and official BRRI portal; DG appointment cross-verified across three independent news sources; variety approvals cross-verified across three independent sources.