March 29, 2000 / IRRI Press Release
Los Baoos, Philippines -- The world's rice-producing nations, which feed
well
over half the people on the planet, have been warned research efforts to
ensure the food security of their burgeoning populations could be affected
unless they prepare proper laws on plant variety protection (PVP) and
intellectual property (IP).
The new concepts of PVP and IP are creating concerns about the
exchange and use of material for research.
The main worry is that PVP and IP legislation, if not properly handled, may
restrict the free exchange of genetic material, or seeds, needed by
scientists to develop new higher yielding rice varieties. This is because
PVP and IP laws could, for the first time, introduce the concept of
ownership into the Asian rice industry.
While the idea of one company owning a popular variety is well established
in crops such as wheat and maize, this is still unheard of in the Asian rice
sector, where even newly developed varieties are always made freely
available to all farmers. But with the advent of biotechnology and with
World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and regulations looming on the horizon,
such traditions are changing fast.
The Chairman of the Council for Partnership on Rice Research in Asia
(CORRA), Dr. Joko Budianto from Indonesia, said that it is very important
for rice-producing nations to master the complexities of PVP and IP laws as
quickly as possible, otherwise their research efforts may suffer. "These PVP
and IP legal requirements are new for many of us in rice research and
production, but we have to study and introduce the necessary legislation as
quickly as possible," he said.
Dr. Budianto warned, however, that each country must fully understand the
overall impact of any new laws in this area. "For years, we have always
freely exchanged rice varieties not just within Indonesia, but also from one
country to another. These new laws will require us to introduce the concept
of ownership with all the rights this will involve. But we must do this
without having a negative impact on our research efforts."
Dr. Budianto was speaking after a recent meeting of senior representatives
of the 12-nation CORRA at the Philippine-based International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) in Los Baoos. A wide range of international experts on IP
rights and PVP from the public and private sectors attended the 3-day event
titled "Impact on Research and Development of Sui Generis Approaches to
Plant Variety Protection of Rice in Developing Countries."
The deputy director general for partnerships at IRRI, Dr. William Padolina,
who organized the conference, said that the importance of the issues
addressed was confirmed by the extremely high turnout at the meeting. "We
originally planned for between 30 and 40 people, but more than 90 eventually
showed up," he said.
Summing up the achievements of the conference, Dr. Padolina said, "The
critical issues are now appearing and initial discussions have begun."
"Any new laws that aim to protect the genetic resources of a country will
definitely affect the way research is conducted and germplasm is exchanged
in the region," he added. "Eventually, this will also affect how rice is
grown, processed, and sold."
Dr. Padolina said that there has already been a very frank, open, and
positive exchange of information among CORRA members and experts, adding
that this was "crucial if the Asian rice industry is going to keep up with
the latest developments in agriculture in Europe and North America."
A decision reached in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 by signatories to the
Convention on Biological Diversity took the first key step by establishing
that genetic resources (seeds) were no longer "the common heritage of
mankind" but fell under the sovereignty of the individual country.
As a result, Dr. Budianto said, understandable concerns linger across Asia
over the future control of the region's rich reservoir of rice germplasm. Of
special concern is the possibility of monopolies emerging, as the private
sector develops new rice varieties using the region's traditional genetic
material and then seeks to sell the seed to poor rice farmers.
At the same time, IRRI is concerned that new rules on PVP may have a major
impact on the operation of the International Network for the Genetic
Evaluation of Rice (INGER), which it coordinates. For many years, INGER, the
world's leading rice germplasm exchange and testing network, has facilitated
the free exchange of such genetic material. It has also played a significant
role in developing new and improved rice varieties in many countries.
Dr. Padolina said that concerns were expressed at the latest CORRA meeting
that new PVP regimes could affect INGER. "But there was also a consensus
that INGER should be allowed to continue and not be impeded," he added.
"What we must do now is try to synchronize a management system for Asia's
vast and extremely valuable pool of rice germplasm. We must be able to
manage it for the continuing benefit of all."
IRRI organized the CORRA workshop with support from the Asia-Pacific
Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), the Global Forum
on Agricultural Research (GFAR), the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of The Netherlands.
IRRI, with its headquarters in the Philippines and offices in 11 other
countries, is the world's leading international rice research and training
center. It is an autonomous, nonprofit institution that is 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 part of the CGIAR, an association of public and private
donor agencies that funds 16 international research centers.
For more information visit the CGIAR (www.cgiar.org) or Future Harvest
websites (www.futureharvest.org). Future Harvest is an initiative of the 16
CGIAR research centers and their donor agencies to raise public awareness of
the importance of agricultural research.
http://www.riceworld.org
(posted without permission)
