SINGAPORE - The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) launched Wednesday a campaign to raise $300 million to boost regional long-term production of the crucial staple and promote food security.

IRRI, based in the Philippines and regarded as the world's leading authority on rice, got off to a strong start with $60 million in donations, including over $50 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The organization is calling for donations ranging from $1,000 from individuals to larger amounts from corporate donors in its largest ever fund-raising exercise.

IRRI's development director Duncan Macintosh said there was another $20 million to $25 million's worth of donations in the pipeline, and the institute hopes to reach its goal in three years' time.

"The target is 2012," Macintosh said at a media briefing.

Robert Zeigler, the director-general of IRRI, said the funds raised would go towards the institute's ongoing research activities and related programs with countries in Asia, where rice has been part of daily life for centuries.

"I don't think there is a country in Asia that has not benefited in some ways from our research," Zeigler said.

"The point of developing the fund is to enable us to continue to do our job even better in the future.

Food security has emerged as a major socio-political issue in Asia after prices of commodities soared in recent years due to demand-supply imbalances, and experts warn that growing populations and climate change pose further challenges.