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NARI signs banana project with FAO
by Seniorl Anzu (12/02/09)
Papua New Guinea has some of the unique banana varieties in the world which must be properly conserved and protected from genetic erosion, a local expert on plant genetic resource has said in Lae this week. Such varieties include the local diploid bananas that are widely cultivated and consumed by farmers throughout PNG.
NARI’s Principal Scientist on Plant Genetic Resources, Rosa Kambuou, said native species of such bananas and other food crops provide food for all and therefore they should be properly conserved from erosion. She added that the national banana collection maintained by NARI at Laloki outside Port Moresby is unique.
“PNG is the only country in the world in which its people are eating and maintaining a rich diversity of diploid bananas. These bananas normally have a lot of seeds, while other countries grow, consume and commercialize triploid and tetraploid groups of bananas," she said.
Mrs kambuou was speaking after NARI signed a banana regeneration project with Crop Diversity Trust of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to provide ongoing maintenance of the national germplasm collection of banana varieties at Laloki. The signing, valuing US$20, 000, took place at NARI Head Office at Bubia near Lae early this week.
Crop Diversity Trust is a set-up under the auspices of FAO’s Biodiversity International which supports countries that are parties to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) for the purpose of conservation and maintenance of genetic resources.
Mrs Kambuou said NARI currently maintains 221 accessions (different banana cultivars and varieties) in the national collection at Loloki which she is responsible for. She said it has been a costly and labour intensive task to maintain these resources and now with the funding support from FAO, NARI will beef up its initiatives. Much of the money will be spent on relocating the germplasm, characterizing the accessions and improving irrigation systems.
Banana regeneration project will be the sixth project on PGR under Mrs Kambuou’s belt, mostly externally funded with involvement of local and international collaborators and partners. Four of these projects are on bananas and are carried out in different places including Laloki and Bubia.