Rice breeding has been the flagship of FLAR’s research. All work is carried out in close collaboration with each of the partner countries' breeding programs, emphasizing on yields increasing and quality of the varieties, using fewer pesticides, for the overall benefit of producers, millers, and rice consumers.

To date 22 varieties have been released in the Tropical Zone, and there are more in the pipeline. Currently FLAR’s Genetic Breeding Program has at its disposal 2.1 million hectares in the centre and south of Latin America, in the Tropical and Temperate Zones.