PNG shares plant genetic resources

 By Toshiro Shigaki

Genetic resources are, according to the international convention for biodiversity, living material that includes genes of present and potential value for humans. 

Plant genetic resources include all our agricultural crops and even some of their wild relatives because they too often have valuable traits. 

Only a few crops are used in modern agriculture and these often have a narrow genetic base. This contrasts with the large number of land races with a substantial genetic variation used by earlier generations. 

If we do not counteract the increasing genetic impoverishment it may have serious consequences, especially when facing a changed climate. 

Organised preservation of genetic resources is a prerequisite for future generations to be able to breed crop varieties and face new challenges.

No country in the world is self-sufficient for agricultural genetic resources. The best example would be sweet potato, the staple crop for a majority of the communities in Papua New Guinea.

Many people may not realise that the crop originated in South America and was introduced to the Pacific relatively recently. 

Similarly, oil palm and coffee were brought from Africa. These are now important exports of PNG. On the other hand, PNG is home to some of the crops that are cultivated the world over. The list includes banana and sugarcane.

It has been shown that crop varieties with a narrow genetic base can be completely destroyed by diseases. 

The plant breeders must then go back to older varieties or closely related wild species in order to find resistance genes for the disease in question. 

Not even advanced gene technology can replace natural variation, with its abundance of genes and gene interactions. With the onset of climate change and increasing population, it is all the more important to exchange agricultural genetic resources for development of climate change resilient and better adapted varieties of crops. 

To that end, an important treaty has been signed by over 130 countries as of this writing to facilitate the exchange of seeds that are potentially useful for enhanced agricultural outputs. 

Unfortunately, PNG has not been one of them, until now.

On January 21, Rimbink Pato, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration, signed the letter to accede to the treaty called the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). 

Joining this world community allows PNG to freely obtain seeds of the crops that are listed in its addendum called Annex 1. 

The import of these seeds is facilitated by a streamlined process termed the multilateral system. 

This means that many crop varieties can be imported from international gene banks without negotiating with the countries by which the varieties were donated. 

The introduction of useful new crop varieties from overseas and the development of enhanced varieties in PNG are expected to become much easier now.  

Besides, under the provision of the treaty, PNG has access to funds for capacity building and research projects that are aimed at food and nutritional security.

 One of the issues regarding ITPGRFA is that the number of crops species currently covered under Annex 1 is not extensive. 

For example, important crops such as soybean, sugarcane, oil palm, and groundnut are not on the list. A popular vegetable in the Pacific, aibika is absent from the list. These crops may be included in the future.

The crops not covered by the treaty, or any other genetic resource, must be exchanged in accordance with another international treaty called Nagoya Protocol. 

Unlike ITPGRFA, it is a bilateral system, meaning that the conditions of exchange and benefit sharing must be negotiated between the donor and the recipient parties. 

For example, if a pharmaceutical company in USA identifies an indigenous plant in a village in PNG, and wants to produce a potentially useful medicine, the company and the community must exchange a letter of agreement to describe the details of benefits to the community. 

The Nagoya Protocol sets an international standard for this process and monitors implementation of the agreement. 

Unfortunately, PNG is not a party to the Nagoya Protocol and the country is in a disadvantaged position without a facility to monitor the exploitation of our genetic resources by foreign entities.

One of the best examples of such cases is an incidence called the Hagahai case. In 1991, the National Institute of Health of the United States patented a human cell line developed from the DNA of the Hagahai community members in PNG, in the hope to find a cure for leukaemia. 

This was done without a clear agreement by the community and led to a controversy. 

As a result, the patent was later abandoned. To prevent such cases in the future, it is essential for PNG to accede to the Nagoya Protocol.

Both ITPGRFA and the Nagoya Protocol are important international treaties for efficient and fair exchange and use of plant genetic resources. 

With ITPGRFA in place in the country, NARI is able to utilise the resources for development of new varieties that are adapted to changing climate and market demands.  

We hope that Nagoya Protocol will be adopted for fair use of our rich genetic resources.