The Full Form of CIMMYT is‍ Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known – even in English – by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT for Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo) is a non-profit research-for-development organization that develops improved varieties of wheat and maize with the aim of contributing to food security, and innovates agricultural practices to help boost production, prevent crop disease and improve smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. CIMMYT is one of the 15 CGIAR centers. CIMMYT is known for hosting the world’s largest maize and wheat genebank at its headquarters in Mexico.

CIMMYT’s eighth director general, Martin Kropff, replaced agronomist Thomas Lumpkin in 2015.Lumpkin served as director general from 2008.

to decrease hunger and poverty by enhancing the capabilities of African breeding programs that deliver products to smallholders by establishing a nonprofit, African based, service provider that generates fixed lines for maize breeders (private and public) using rapid fixation technologies (single-seed-decent procedures and dihaploid technology)