Senadhira International Rice Research Award
Three RRDI scientists, Dr RMT Rajapaksa (Rice
Breeder), Dr N Dissanayake (Plant Pathologist) and Dr LNugaliyadde
(Entomologist), received the first Senadhira International Rice Research Award
for their outstanding contributions to Rice Research. A five member team of
international scientists, headed by DR Gurdev S Khush, Principle Plant Breeder
at the International Rice Research Institute who evaluated the applications
received from Rice Research Institutes and Universities through out the rice
producing world unanimously decided to confer the above award to this team.
The contributions made by these scientists to the rice research in Sri Lanka
during the past 23 years have been evaluated as exceptional.
The International START secretariat - A global change system for analysis, research
and training - based in washington DC USA has conferred the 'Young scientist
award for 2000' to Dr WMW Weerakoon an agronomist attached to the Rice
Research and Development Institute (RRDI) of the Department of Agriculture.
The selection for this prestigious award was based on his work on the effect
of climate change on rice production.
This annual award was established by the International Human Dimensions of Global Environment Change (IHDP), the International Geosphere -Biosphere program (IGBP) and The World Climate Change Research Program (WCRP) for recognising outstanding young scientists working in Asia, africa and South America.
President's Research award
Dr WMW Weerakoon an agronomist attached to the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) of the Department of Agriculture has received a cash award from Her excellency the President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for his contribution to the global advancement of science and human knowledge by his paper published in Agric. Ecosyst. & Environ. 72: 1-8, 1999.
National Awards for Agricultural Research Achievements (1999)
The following Researchers were selected by the committee chaired by the Secretary to HE President to receive national awards for Agricultural Research Achievements made for the period from 1987 to1997.
1st award: MP Dhanapala,. RMT Rajapaksa. DB Pathinayake- For the development of improved rice varieties
2nd award: C.Kudagamage,.L Nugaliyadde, for the development IPM for rice pest management
3rd award: U Samarajeeva, MCL de Alwis MF Chandraratna memorial award: DS de Z Abeysiriwardena,. GA Jinadasa, for the development of a premium quality rice.
New appointments
Dr WMADB Wickramasinghe has been elected as the Editor of the Journal of the Soil Science Society of Sri Lanka for the year 2000 and reelected for the year 2001.
Rice symposium 2000
Theme: Future of rice in Sri Lanka: the second
leap forward
The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the
Department of Agriculture a organized a symposium on rice at PGRC Gannoruwa
on 14-15 December 2000. The main objectives of the symposium was to formulate
essential and basic policy guidelines on all conceivable issues pertaining to
the future rice production in Sri Lanka taking year 2025 as the target. The
issues considered were, production targets, post harvest operations, natural
resources utilisation, public and private sector investments and other matters
relevant to the development of rice as a sustainable economic activity in the
country.The symposium lead to the formulation of a Proposal entitled Gannoruwa
Proposal. The proposal will be submitted to the Government for approval.