Bali, Indonesia
September 12, 2005
The world’s major rice-producing
countries – including the two most populous nations, China and
India – have emphasized the importance of continuing to develop
new rice varieties to guarantee Asia’s food security and support
the region’s economic development.
Rice helps
feed almost half Earth’s population on a daily basis, and just
as important provides vital employment and income for billions
of poor people, most of them in Asia. But, at a recent meeting
in Indonesia of the region’s main rice-producing nations, the
challenges facing rice production were highlighted and discussed
with a focus on finding solutions through science and
technology.
The ninth
annual meeting of the
Council for
Partnerships on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA) was told that,
after a brief slowdown in regional collaboration to develop new
rice varieties, the situation was improving once again. CORRA
brings together senior research representatives of 15 major
rice-producing and -consuming nations each year to highlight the
issues, threats and challenges facing the rice industry in its
efforts to feed the estimated three billion people who consume
the staple food each day.
“The
introduction of plant variety protection rights and the
continued implementation of the International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture have clearly had an
impact on the development of new rice varieties, especially the
exchange of material between countries,” said CORRA chairman
Seong-Hee Lee. Dr. Lee is also the director general of the Rural
Development Administration’s National Institute of Crop Science
in South Korea.
He said most
countries were only just starting to understand the impact of
plant variety rights legislation and the international treaty on
the way they develop new rice varieties. “It’s very important
that rice-producing and -consuming nations continue to develop
new varieties to combat problems such as pests and diseases and
to have this collaboration is crucial,” he added.
The CORRA
meeting was told that, as the concept of national sovereignty
over rice varieties was developed by each country, sharing and
collaboration became more challenging. “But there’s no doubt
that we must collaborate to develop the best new rice
varieties,” Dr. Lee said.
Under the
treaty, all countries that ratify it must agree to facilitate
access to their plant genetic resources (including rice) for
food and agriculture. In turn, those involved will share – in a
fair and equitable way – the benefits arising from the use of
these plant resources.
However, most
of the members of CORRA are still not parties to the treaty and
there have been no new ratifications by any of the members since
Bangladesh in November 2003. “The main reason for this is the
treaty’s very complex requirements when it comes to national
governments,” Dr. Lee said.
For the past
30 years, the well-known network called the International
Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER) has played a
vital role in the development of new rice varieties in Asia,
providing each country with access to material it otherwise
might not be able to find. “It’s very important for food
security and rice production in Asia that INGER be able to
continue its work,” Dr. Lee said.
In its three
decades of work, INGER has provided material for the development
and release of 667 new rice varieties in 62 countries around the
world. The average annual value of each of these varieties has
been estimated by experts at US$2.5 million, providing clear
evidence of the major boost new varieties can provide to each
country’s rural economy.
CORRA members
are Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,
Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
The International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) is the world’s leading rice research and
training center. Based in the Philippines and with offices in 10
other Asian countries, it is an autonomous, nonprofit
institution focused on improving the well-being of present and
future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly
those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI
is one of 15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), an association of
public and private donor agencies. Please visit the Web sites of
the CGIAR or
Future Harvest Foundation,
a nonprofit organization that builds awareness and supports food
and environmental research.
Web sites:
- IRRI Home (www.irri.org)
- IRRI Library (http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.org)
- Rice Knowledge Bank (www.knowledgebank.irri.org)
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