B.M. Prasanna is Managing Director of Borlaug Institute of South Asia (BISA) and CIMMYT Distinguished Scientist and Regional Director for Asia.
Prasanna joined as Director of Global Maize Program in 2010 based in Nairobi, Kenya, after an illustrious career at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, for nearly two decades. As the Global Maize Program Director, Prasanna provided technical oversight for a wide range of multi-institutional projects focused on the development and deployment of elite, stress-resilient, and nutritionally enriched maize varieties across the tropics of sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
He played a pivotal role in expanding the adoption of climate-resilient maize in sub-Saharan Africa—from 0.5 million hectares in 2010 to over 8.5 million in 2024—and led responses to major threats such as Maize Lethal Necrosis and Fall Armyworm. He also directed the CGIAR Research Program on MAIZE and co-led the OneCGIAR Plant Health Initiative.
Prasanna has published over 250 research articles, holds a Scopus h-index of 60 and Google Scholar h-index of 75, and is a recipient of several international honors, including the NAAS Fellowship, Shanghai Magnolia Award, and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture.
Capacity development 
