Prime Minister Narendra contributed two Indian rice seed varieties to the gene bank of the international rice research centre in the Philippines which he said is working towards mitigating global poverty and hunger by improving the cultivation of the key grain.

PM Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, an urban locality situated at a distance of around 65 kms from Manila -- the capital of the Philippines -- and interacted with a large number of Indian scientists working there.