With this designation, ICRISAT joins CGIAR’s global network of Breeding Resources service centres, providing standardised, high-performance breeding services that span genotyping, phenotyping, analytics, and operational support.
As part of this harmonised global model, breeders from national and international institutions will now have access to the same digital workflows and protocols used across CGIAR hubs in Africa and Asia. This shift ensures interoperability, quality assurance, and scientific rigour in breeding efforts aimed at tackling climate stress, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
Key facilities at ICRISAT—such as the Facility for Exploratory Research on Nutrition (FERN)—will now operate under the Breeding Resources framework. Services available through the hub include DNA sequencing, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) for nutritional profiling, X-ray Fluorescence analysis for mineral content, and rapid generation technologies, all delivered through a connected system powered by the Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) and Bioflow analytics pipeline.
“ICRISAT is fully prepared to deliver harmonised, scalable breeding services that support more resilient food systems,” said Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT. Eng Hwa, Head of Breeding Resources for CGIAR’s B4T program, highlighted the role of standardised, scalable services in driving faster and more inclusive innovation.
The appointment of ICRISAT as a regional breeding hub reflects a broader transition in agricultural research—from fragmented, project-based structures to coordinated, service-oriented models. Since its inception, ICRISAT has developed over 500 improved crop varieties and distributed nearly 595,000 germplasm samples across South Asia.
As the designated hub, ICRISAT is expected to further scale its efforts in developing climate-resilient, nutrition-sensitive crops suited to dryland agriculture in countries such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
The CGIAR initiative aims to turn data into decisions and trials into climate-smart varieties, supporting global efforts to build sustainable, equitable food systems for a changing climate.
